Future Self
by pen.edge
Summary: Except that she was struggling in class & her heart was torn between 2 guys, Sophie was happy. But 1 encounter might ruin it all. One night, she meets her future self but she didn't get good news. Now, Sophie's running out of time but the life of her loved ones are on the line. Can Sophie take that one chance & fix it all? Or will she make a grave mistake that changes everything?
1. Chapter 1

**With my other fanfic Project Moonlark 2 going on and this, I might not be updating as much as usual but I'll try. I'm not expecting this one to be too long but hey… I'm just going with the flow. If it's long well cool but if not… eh. Also, in this fanfic, I really don't know who I should put Sophie with yet. So, Fitz and Keefe will both have their cute moments! Anyways hope you like it! R &R pls! This first chapter might be a little long… just a warning. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own KOTLC**

Chapter 1- Sophie's POV

The sunlight beamed through a small crack in her curtains, waking Sophie up from her light slumber. She yawned and stretched her arms. Slowly she got up to change and brush her teeth, still drowsy from her long sleep. She constantly yawned as she headed down the stairs. Suddenly, a sweet aroma found Sophie's nose, making her blink at the familiar face in front of her. Her vision focused and she stood face to face with a delicious looking cake. Sophie gasped in surprise.

"No way! You did not!" Sophie exclaimed as Edaline handed her a slice and gave a bright smile.

"But I did." Edaline replied with a wink. Sophie felt like drooling as she stared at the Mallowmelt cake in front of her. It was extremely rare for Edaline to make her sweets in the early morning. Like something-is-up rare. Sophie sighed with her mouth full of food.

"What is it this time?" She grumbled. Edaline gave her a stern look.

"Hey don't talk with your mouth full." She said before switching to an apologetic smile.

"So um… Grady needs a little help…with you know…" Edaline started. Sophie let out a long moan.

"Uhg I knew something was up! Please don't do this to me! And so early in the morning! I have school you know!" Sophie complained. Edaline begged with her turquoise eyes, putting her hand together as if she was saying a prayer. Sophie let out a sigh. There goes that wonderful cake, she thought. She knew it was all going to be barfed back out from the yucky stench she always got from helping Grady.

"Fine." Sophie agreed, finishing the last bit of cake. She licked her lips and slipped on her boots and gloves. She glanced back at Edaline's shining face before heading outside to meet Grady. Sophie let out a defeated sigh. Oh well, Sophie thought. As long as Edaline was happy. After Jolie died, Edaline and Grady always seemed so depressed and stressed. Elves almost never die, so no one could really comfort the two of them well. They suffered horribly from Jolie's death, but now, things were finally going back to normal for them. Edaline was starting to smile a lot more and Grady seemed pretty cheerful himself. As long as they were happy, Sophie repeated in her head. After she finished up helping Grady, she quickly cleanse off and took out her pathfinder. She was whisked away by the light which led her in front of her school. Sophie headed towards her locker and licked the strip next to it. Just as she was about to open up her locker, something hard slammed into her. Sophie fell, banging her knee against the ground.

"Ouch…" Sophie mumbled as she glanced up to see who tackled her. And of course she found the face of her best friend staring back at her.

"This is an emergency!" Biana yelled in Sophie's ears, making Sophie cringe.

"Biana, please get off." Sophie said.

"Oh sorry! But seriously! It's a major problem!" Biana exclaimed.

"What's the problem?" Sophie asked, intrigued and very curious on why Biana was freaking out. Biana blushed and checked over her shoulder to see if anyone was listening, which Sophie bet there was. Biana leaned in and whispered in Sophie's ears.

"I think I have a thing for Dex…." She said, embarrassed. Sophie looked at her with wide eyes.

"No way…" Sophie said, surprised. Then she smirked and poked her embarrassed friend.

"You have to tell me all the details! When did this happen? And how? Honestly, I thought you like Keefe." Sophie admitted. Now it was Biana's turn to look surprise.

"How did you know I had a crush on him?!" Biana yelled. A few heads turned in their way. Sophie knew that rumors were going to start soon.

"Well… it was kind of obvious…" Sophie murmured. Biana groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"Really? Do you think Keefe knew?" Biana asked, turning a dark shade of red. Sophie let out an uncertain laugh and averted her gaze. She scratched the side of her head.

"Um… maybe?" She said, her voice going an octave higher. Biana groaned even more.

"Don't worry though! I'm sure Dex is too dense to figure it out!" Sophie quickly assured her friend. Biana looked at her skeptically.

"I'm too dense to figure what out?" A voice came from behind them. They both turned around to find Dex standing right in front of them. Biana's face immediately flushed as Sophie just seemed caught in the middle of the mess.

"Nothing!" They both said at the same time, scurrying to collect their books. Dex's periwinkle eyes met Sophie's and he gave her a doubtful look.

"What? Tell me!" Dex demanded. Sophie looked over at Biana who was glaring at her. Sophie shuddered at the goosebumps she was getting from Biana's stare.

"Um it was nothing important… Class is about to start, we should go!" Sophie wanted to slap herself. Such a lame excuse! But she didn't have time to be troubled over this. She grabbed Biana by the arm and pulled her away. The two of them rushed to class, out of breath.

"You so owe me for this." Sophie panted. Biana rolled her eyes and smirked.

"For that lame excuse? Better not."

"Hey!" Sophie exclaimed, playfully elbowing Biana. She nudged Sophie back and they started laughing. They took their seats and quickly sat down when Lady Veda walked in.

"Okay class, quiet down! Today we will start off by having a pop quiz." She announced. The class groaned as Sophie shared a horrid look with Biana. Crap, Sophie thought. Recently she hasn't been paying attention in class. A certain boy kept clogging her thought. His gorgeous teal eyes always mesmerized her and his perfect brown hair looked so soft. Sophie sighed dreamily as her mind was consumed with Fitz in her head.

"Sophie! Sophie!" Biana called quietly. Sophie snapped out of her thoughts and saw a pile of paper waved in front of her.

"Pass the quiz down!" Biana instructed. Sophie nodded and took a quiz. She skimmed through the test and felt sweat prickle against her forehead. She started to freak out. She didn't know a single one of these. Sophie stumped over the questions, holding her hands tight against her head and she willed her brain to remember. Come on, She thought. She had photographic memory for god's sake! How can she not remember anything?! She started to massage her temples as she looked at the questions with worry.

"1 minute left!" Lady Veda informed. Sophie quickly scribbled down answers and finished right when time was up. She passed the quiz back up and buried her head in her arms and let out a shaky sigh. She probably just failed that. The class went by slowly and this time Sophie managed to pay attention. At the end of the class, the quizzes were passed back. As Lady Veda reached Sophie's desk, she frowned.

"You can do better than this, Miss Foster." Lady Veda said, disappointment filled her voice. Sophie looked down at her desk and took the quiz. After class was over, she and Biana headed down to lunch. Sophie could barely suppress the disappointment and embarrassment for failing that quiz. She never got that bad of a grade before! As soon as they grabbed a lunch tray, they sat down at their usual table. Keefe, who was already sitting there, cocked his head at Sophie. He raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Foster? Aren't you happy to see me?" Keefe teased. Sophie forced a weak laugh and tried to smile.

"I completely bombed my quiz." She replied, drained. Keefe looked at her in surprise then grinned.

"Perfect opportunity to hang with me! I'll teach you everything you need to know!" Keefe joked. Sophie let out a small giggle. She knew Keefe had photographic memory as well, so he didn't ever need to study. But the thought of him tutoring her kind of made her heart bounce. Keefe always seemed to be there when she needed him the most.

"Thanks Keefe, I'll keep that in mind." She replied. After lunch was over, her classes continued as normal. Finally, she was able to go home. Just as she took out her pathfinder, Biana ran up to her.

"Wait! Please come over! I really need to talk!" Biana called out. Sophie turned to face Biana, who was currently out of breath.

"About what?" Sophie asked, still upset over her quiz. Biana gave her an obvious look.

"About Dex!" She said in a hush whisper. Then Sophie remembered. She mentally hated herself for forgetting. She was a horrible friend.

"Oh right! Yeah, sure. Give me a second so I can let Grady know." Sophie replied, feeling a bit guilty. When she was done, she and Biana light leaped to Everglen. As they walked into Biana's room, she heard the boys yelling. Biana rolled her eyes at the noise they were making.

"Wait, Keefe's here too?" Sophie asked, her heart bouncing. Biana gave Sophie a weird expression.

"Isn't he always here?" She replied. Biana quickly pulled Sophie in her large room and shut the door. Biana plopped onto her enormous soft bed that looked like it was designed for a royal family, which she practically is. She let out a heavy sigh while Sophie wondered why her heart pounded at the mention of Keefe. Suddenly Biana sat up, looking at her.

"Seriously, don't tell a soul!" Biana spoke abruptly. Sophie nodded.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't." She said. Then she eyed Biana.

"So how exactly did this all happen?" Sophie asked, curious. She remembered Dex saying how he hated the Vackers, so will he open up to Biana? Sophie wondered. Maybe, she thought. Biana is gorgeous and all the boys in school are in love with her. Sophie sighed as she wished she could tell if Fitz liked her or not.

"Well," Biana started, bringing Sophie back to the present. "One time he just was crying about something and being the nice person that I am, I went over to talk to him. And he talked about this problem he was having and I just told him some advice. And then afterwards… when I was walking, I tripped over a rock and he kind of… caught me. And then I just noticed how strong he actually was, even though he didn't look like it. Plus, his dimples are like… adorable." Biana face flushed after confessing about it.

"Aw! That's so cute!" Sophie commented. "Bet you guys will make a perfect couple!" Biana's expression shifted and she looked disappointed.

"He likes someone else…" Biana mumbled. Sophie's eyes widened before she put an arm around Biana.

"But once you talk to him more, he'll probably start to like you!" Sophie tried to comfort. "Who does he like? I honestly think you can win him over." Biana looked straight into Sophie's warm brown eyes.

"He likes you..." Biana grumbled, too quiet for Sophie to hear properly.

"What?" She asked.

"He likes YOU!" Biana shouted, clearly upset. Sophie flinched in alarm. She didn't know what to say. She and Dex were cousins… it would be weird. Suddenly the door flew open and the boys fell to the ground. They groaned in pain as Della walked over them. She sighed in disgust as she looked at them.

"Boys." Della stated, rolling her eyes. "They were trying to eavesdrop on you girls. Better watch out for them." Fitz blushed at this as he tried to explain.

"We just wanted to ask if you guys wanted to play Base Quest… and Keefe had this idea to sneak up on you guys… which turned out great, by the way." He said, shooting a glare at Keefe. Keefe just shrugged, pulling on his trademark smirk.

"You'd have to expect that when it comes to me." He said, matter-of-factly. Then his smirk brightened. "So who likes Sophie?" Biana glanced at Sophie, both of them unsure of what to say.

"Um… no one that you know of." Sophie lied. Keefe raised his eyebrows.

"Really, Foster. When are you going to learn that you can't lie to an empath?" Keefe asked, crossing his arms. Sophie blushed. For some reason, just looking at Keefe made her heart race. Was it just her, or did he seem to get even more cute and cool? She quickly shoved those feelings aside, hoping that Keefe didn't notice them yet. She saw Fitz staring at her and Biana, though especially at Sophie. His gaze could honestly melt her right then and there. She shook her head, trying to clear her head. Why did both of them just making her heart swoon with only just a glimpse?

"Let's just play Base Quest, already!" Biana said, dragging Sophie along with her. They four of them divided into their usual teams, Biana with Sophie and Fitz with Keefe.

"Watch us win this time!" Keefe declared, giving Fitz a high five. They had a victorious smile on their faces even though the game hasn't even started yet.

"Oh not a chance. We're totally gonna beat you guys down!" Biana smirked and folded her arms, full of confident. She and Sophie exchanged a smile and nodded. They already had the perfect plan in mind. The teams set out and soon Sophie was dashing through the trees. She closed her eyes and willed her powers to locate the boys. Her mind closed in on them and she blinked her big eyes open. Bingo. Right where Biana was headed towards. She sent Biana a telepathic message of the boys coming her way and rushed to her. As Sophie ran to meet up with Biana to trap the guys, she heard a twig snap. Instantly, she stopped moving and scanned the area.

Something was out there. Another twig snapped and Sophie whipped around to the noise. She caught a glimpse of blonde hair disappearing behind a tree. Sophie lunged around the tree, only to find nothing. Her heart drummed against her chest as she tried to picture the small glimpse she got. Whoever it was, was gone now. With her nerves still on edge, she quickly made it to her friends. An unsettling feeling stayed with Sophie as she found Biana hiding in a tree. How she got up there, she didn't know. Sophie hid behind a bush and could just make out Fitz and Keefe's silhouettes. Just as she prepared to tackle them, Keefe whipped around and ran to their direction. Aw crap, Sophie thought. He could totally feel their emotions. Before Keefe could grab her, Sophie spun on her heels, avoiding Keefe and instead she was the one to grab his wrist. Keefe held his hand up in surrender.

"Aw, you got me." He pretended being sad before a smirk grew on his face. He glanced at something over Sophie's right shoulder. Before she could react, she heard Biana call out and a yell from behind her.

 _Too late, Sophie! Caught you!_ Fitz transmitted in her head. She flinched as she heard that, still unused to the fact he could communicate with her in her head. Just as Fitz reached out for Sophie, Biana blinked in, as Vanishers love to do, and hurled herself at Fitz. The two of them tumbled down as Sophie and Keefe watched.

"Yikes… cat fight." Keefe jokingly winced as he saw the siblings claw at each other. Sophie covered her mouth as a laugh escaped her throat. Fitz glared at them.

"I'm not a girl." Fitz said, offended by Keefe's remark. Keefe smirked at his best friend.

"You sure fight like one. I mean, your sister, who actually is a girl, is beating you up." Keefe retorted.

"Hey girls are strong too!" Biana shouted out at them.

"Ah, shut up." Fitz said, rolling his eyes as he playfully tried to tackle Keefe. Biana brushed the dirt off and glanced at the boys in disappointment.

"Boys are such dumb creatures sometimes." Biana remarked. Sophie snorted.

Later, as the sun was setting, the four of them called it a day. They waved goodbye and Sophie took her leave. Once she returned to Havenfield, Grady and Edaline already prepared a delicious dinner for her. They ate in peace and soon sleep began to drawn on Sophie. After dinner, she retreated to her room and laid across her big bed, letting out a satisfied sigh. Just as her eyelids drifted shut, a loud taping noise sounded from outside the window. Sophie groaned, tiredly. It was probably an annoying bird. She tried to continue to sleep but the noise just got louder and louder. It must be a really persistent bird.

Willing herself to get out of bed, she slowly trudged over and swung open the curtains. On the ledge of her window stood a girl. Sophie let out a surprised scream and fell backwards. She looked up as her eyes met similar brown eyes. Sophie felt her heart stop as she pinched herself. No, she wasn't dreaming. That blonde hair, those brown eyes, her face. Yes. The girl definitely appeared older, but there was no doubt.

Outside her window stood another Sophie. Her future self.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I just found out how time consuming two fanfics are so plz be patient with the updates! I know most of you people probs prefer Sophie to end up with Keefe but it's still undecided. Tho… it might be more likely to happen….. maybe. I'll let you continue to read this and find out. ;) Oh and btw… IT'S REALLY HARD TO WRITE WITH TWO SOPHIES… LIKE REALLY HARD. ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY'RE THE SAME PERSON! SO PLEASE BEAR WITH IT! Thanks!**

 **So shout out to Reyna Kane for following and favouriting both of my fanfics! U were always the first person to do so! Thanks soooooooo much! Love ya a lot!**

 **Also a shout out for copicrazeunwoltxnaa for also following and favouriting this fanfic!**

 **To Kari2678: Lol I love how your so enthuisiastic about my fanfic! I really enjoyed your review and opinion and you have a good point about Fitz. I noticed that to when I was reading the books and I was just like wow, Fitz… really? But you still have to read on to find out who! ;) I'm not gonna spoil my own fanfic.**

Chapter 2- Sophie's POV

Sophie's jaw dropped to the floor as she gaped at the girl in front of her. Without hesitation, she quickly swung her curtains over the window and turned around. She let out a nervous laugh.

"Ahaha… I must be seeing things. I'm probably just delirious from lack of sleep." Sophie tried to convince herself.

"If only…" A familiar voice came from behind her. And it sounded just like her. Sophie spun around, her heart thumping hard. Her exact copy was now standing right in front of her. She let out a startled shriek and grabbed the nearest thing to her, which turned out to be a lamp. She threw it at the mysterious girl and backed away. The girl flicked her wrist and the lamp halted in mid-air, only an inch from the girl's face. Telekinesis? Sophie identified. She must be really strong, Sophie noted in her head.

"Thanks." The girl said. Sophie widened her eyes.

"Did you just read my mind!?" Sophie exclaimed, frightened. The girl shifted on her foot, looking slightly guilty.

"Um… maybe?" She answered. Sophie narrowed her brown eyes at the girl.

"That's against the law… and you shouldn't be able to get through my mind anyways! Just who are you!?" Sophie yelled. But she already knew the answer. She just wished she was wrong. The blonde girl smirked, putting a hand on her hip.

"I'm you. I'm Sophie Foster from five years into the future." The girl replied, nonchalantly. Sophie blinked, feeling as if her brain just shut down. She really didn't want to hear those words.

"And the reason I can get through your mind is because we're the same person. And I don't think it's illegal to hear my own thoughts, now is it?" The future Sophie explained when Sophie didn't respond. Sophie's brain was exploding with information she couldn't comprehend. She waved her hands around.

"Ah just please go away… I can't take this much! My brain is overloading…." She complained in a small whiny voice. Her future self just looked at her with disappointment.

"I was kind of an immature kid back then, wasn't I?" She mumbled to herself. Sophie glared at her. She wanted to spat an insult, but it was way too weird to smack talk herself. Not to mention, now that she got a better view, her future self looked flawless. Her golden blonde hair grew longer and her curls looked so naturally beachy. And unlike her normal dull brown eyes, Future Sophie had mesmerizing honey brown eyes that emit a warm light. They even seemed to sparkle sometimes. Now, Sophie finally understood what Della meant that one time when she told Sophie that she was going to become a "heartbreaker" in the future. Though, she kind of had mix feelings about that. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or upset that she couldn't find anything bad to comment on. Honestly, the whole I'm-meeting-myself-from-the-future thing was too much for her to handle. Sophie slapped her face with her hands, wanting to scream in frustration. This was too confusing!

"Talk about it…" Future Sophie mumbled to herself. Sophie looked up with suspicion, snapping out of her thoughts.

"How did you even get in here?" She asked, the thought just popping up. Future Sophie smirked with confidence.

"I've been living here five more years than you have. Don't you think with all the troubles I live through, that I would have an escape plan and a way to sneak back in without getting caught?" Sophie reasoned, matter-of-factly. Sophie grumbled. It was a good point. Future Sophie smiled triumphantly. Sophie rolled her eyes and glanced at Future Sophie.

"So why are you even here?" Sophie asked, curious. The smile instantly was wiped off of Future Sophie's face and a dark expression took its place.

"Look, we can get over the confusion of me coming back to the past, later. But I didn't come here just to have fun. The future… isn't all that bright. Our friends are in trouble. Our _family_ needs help. And I can't do anything about it. Sophie, we're all going to die. And I need you to fix the mistake I made." She said, solemnly. Silence filled the room. Finally Sophie couldn't take it anymore. The suspense was getting to her. She didn't understand what her future self was saying.

"I don't understand! What am I supposed to do?! I'm still confused on this whole thing!" Sophie cried out, confused and freaked out. Future Sophie frowned with worry.

"I don't really know how much I can explain but—" She started before a small empty whole appeared behind her. Sophie gasped as it got bigger. It looked like the void that Sophie jumped in to teleport. She heard the other Sophie curse and quickly turned back to Sophie.

"I don't have much time to explain but I promise I will tell you everything later. Just wait for me. Act normal and don't tell anyone about how you saw me." Future Sophie rushed. The black hole was already filling up Sophie's room. The wind whipped around them as things went flying, scattering all over the room.

"Wait—Sophie—Future Sophie—?" Sophie didn't even know how to address her future self. Future Sophie gave a small smile.

"Just call me Soph." She said before disappearing into the darkness. Sophie stood there dumbfounded. Her thoughts were like a storm raging in her head. She couldn't grasp on to any of them and make sense of it. What just happened, she had no idea. Her knees felt weak and soon all the energy was drained from her. She slumped on the ground, staring off at the place where her future self was just talking to her. She heard loud footsteps darting towards her room. Suddenly, the door burst opened and Edaline and Grady barged in.

"Sophie! Are you okay?!" Edaline asked, concerned. They looked around at the mess in her room. Grady gave her a worried look.

"What happened in here?" He questioned, alert. He scanned around the room for any potential threat. Sophie shook her head, still in daze.

"I don't know… I probably had a bad dream and threw a tantrum in my sleep." Sophie lied, hoping it was believable enough. They looked pretty skeptical though, but they didn't press it. She managed a small smile, telling them that she was alright. Grady and Edaline exchanged a worried look but left her alone. That night, she couldn't sleep another wink. All she could think of was that one sentence, repeating itself over and over again.

 _We're all going to die._

The next day, Sophie was up early, preparing her things for school. As she came downstairs, she saw Edaline and Grady sitting at the table, discussing something in low voices. They immediately stopped when they saw Sophie.

"Good morning, honey!" Edaline greeted, too cheerful. Sophie sighed. Edaline was a horrible actor. No doubt they were talking about her odd behavior last night. She sat down and munched on her breakfast. Nobody said a word about last night's incident. They all acted as if nothing happened and eventually got into normal conversation. Sophie glanced at the clock and sighed. She just had to go to school today. Her thoughts kept filling up with last night's events. Soph told her to wait, but just how long? She hurried off and light leaped to Firefox Academy. Just as she walked into school, a voice rang from behind her.

"Foster! Hey!" Keefe yelled from down the halls. He paced up to her.

"I've been calling your name, repeatedly." Keefe said. He paused to look at her. "Is something wrong? I'm getting a whole bunch of confusion and deep thoughts here." Sophie's heart pounded as she started to panick. Crap, he can totally tell if she lies. She gave a strained smile.

"Sorry um... I just had a really bad nightmare and it's kind of embarrassing to talk about." Sophie replied, hoping the description was good enough to match her feelings. She was pretty sure Keefe bought it since he continued to walk like normal. She breathed in, relieved. The only thing she was looking forward to was her telepathy session with Fitz. She just had to survive till then. Luckily, the day passed faster than expected. In no time, Sophie was standing side by side with Fitz as Tiergan was introducing the exercise they were going to do.

"Okay, I want you guys to continue building up your trust so it would be effortless to communicate with each other. Sophie, I want you to let Fitz into your mind once again." Tiergan commanded. Sophie nodded and sat on a nearby chair. Fitz closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. Sophie gripped onto the chair arm, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She really didn't like it when she knew Fitz could enter her mind and see all her personal memories and thoughts. He might even discover how she sometimes doze off, thinking about him. That thought scared her. He might find out things that she wouldn't want him to know. Like how she really loved looking into his beautiful teal eyes or like how she sometimes stares at his lips when he talks to her. Or like… oh crap. Sophie jumped up as she recalled last night. It would be very bad if he found out about that. Her eyes darted around as her heart sped up. What to do?! What to do?! What to do?! Her thought scrambled all over the place.

"Okay, I'm in." Fitz announced. Sophie's mind immediately went into panic mode and soon all her thoughts were collected in a whirlwind created by her mind. Fitz called out in alarm.

"Woah!" He cried, distressed. "Sophie what's going on?!" She didn't want him to know.

"What? What do you not want me to know?" He asked, dismayed. Oh crap, he could hear her! Suddenly, her mind shut down and all she could think of was pushing the intruder out, which happened to be Fitz. She forced him out of her mind. Fitz backed away from her and panted. He looked at her, alert.

"What was that?! Sophie?" He asked. But she couldn't think of anything to say as she was still trying to calm her nerves. Tiergan stepped in between them.

"What happened?" He questioned. Sophie looked down, still unable to talk.

"I don't know. She just pushed me out." Fitz answered, still confused.

 _Sophie, you okay?_ He transmitted. She flinched at the sound of his voice. She caught a glimpse of his hurt face. She silently apologized to him. She just can't let him find out. She mustered a smile.

"I'm not feeling good. I'm going to the clinic." She said, scampering away. When she got far enough out of their sight, she quickly turned the opposite direction from the clinic. She was so not voluntarily going to the doctors. She still hated it, even if she knew Elwin will treat her fine. Instead, she decided to take a stroll down the halls, hoping no one will see her. As she was passing down a corridor, she looked out the window. She stared out into the woods, wishing she could just flee there. Just as she was about to look away, she saw a quick movement from the corner of her eye. Even though it was quick, she made out the flash of blonde hair. Sophie gasped. It's her!

She dropped everything she was doing and chased after her. She brushed away the branches and sprinted at high speed. She could just make out Soph's face and quickly willed for a brain push. She summoned all the energy she had left in her and focused it into one part of her mind. As it reached its full capacity, Sophie released it and felt herself flying through the trees. She saw Soph just below her and crashed into her. The both of them tumbled down.

"Ouch!" Sophie groaned. She slowly sat up and notice Soph doing the same. Soph rubbed her elbow and glared at Sophie.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" She yelled out. Sophie shrunk down, frightened of herself. And of course that, itself, was just a weird feeling to have. Soph sighed and stood up, offering a hand to Sophie. She gratefully took the hand and brushed off the dirt on her cape. She examined Soph's face. They may look alike but their personalities seems completely different. Somehow, Soph seemed fiercer. Soph looked at Sophie, meeting her eyes.

"People change when things happen." Soph said, gloomy. Sophie didn't really understand what she meant by that or what was the past behind those words, all she knew was the sadness that was expressed on her face. A bunch of questions formed in Sophie's head. She wanted to burst out but she probably wasn't going to get any answers by doing that. Soph sighed and scratched her head.

"I know that you're really confused but hang on for a bit. I can't explain everything at once. I have a limit of how long I can stay. My powers aren't the strongest at the moment. When time's up, like last time, the void will appear and suck me back into my time period." Soph explained.

"Wait, how do you time travel? I don't think I can do that… Will I develop a new skill or something? No one has ever heard of a person coming back from the future." Sophie asked, worried. She didn't want to be even more of a freak show. Soph rolled her eyes and frowned.

"Oh, by teleporting. You'll figure it out when you're sixteen. Apparently, we have the powers to teleport through time, but it uses a lot of energy to do so. And also, when will you stop putting yourself down? We are not freaks. We are special. Sophie, we were born for a purpose and so we needed the skills to succeed and carry out that purpose. In fact, our powers are _cool_." Soph said the last sentence with a smile. "Like when you told Dex how technopaths are cool, so are we." Soph's expression soften at the mention of Dex. Her brown eyes seemed to glow like amber in the sunlight. It made Sophie wonder about how hers and Dex's relationship will become in the future.

"How is Dex? The one from your time." Sophie asked, curious. A conflicted look reflected off of Soph's eyes but instantly disappeared.

"He's doing fine." She answered, monotone. But Sophie could tell that there was something extremely wrong. In fact, the whole future seems to be very depressing. Sophie wondered what could have happened.

"Please tell me what's wrong." Sophie begged, worried. Soph glanced at Sophie and nodded.

"In two weeks from now, a new element will be discovered. It's called—" Soph gasped sharply. Sophie jumped in alarm, surprised by her sudden gasp. She saw Soph looking at something behind her and turned around to see a boy with periwinkle blue eyes staring at them, not far from them. Sophie's heart flipped as her blood ran cold. They've been caught. By Dex.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry guys for making you wait so long! Thanks for all your great reviews! And I know a lot of people probs don't ship Dex and Sophie but don't worry, they aren't an item in this story… maybe ;). Though it could also be a possibility. Guess you'll have to read along to find out what really happen between Dex and Sophie in the future! Anyways, chapter 3 is finally here!**

Chapter 3- Sophie's POV

Oh my god, what to do? He's going to freak out! He just saw her talking to her future self! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Sophie paled and stared with wide eyes, like she was some deer caught in the headlights. Dex cautiously approached her.

"Sophie, who were you just talking to?" He asked, suspiciously. Her heart raced as she glanced behind her. Right there, stood… no one? Sophie did a 360 and found that Soph was nowhere to be seen. Sophie stared dumbfounded at the place Soph was supposed to be.

"Um Sophie? You okay?" Dex asked, giving her a concern look. She turned back to him and mustered a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Totally." She lied. Dex looked skeptical and didn't seem to let it pass by.

"Who was it that you were talking to?" He questioned again. Sophie stood still and averted her gaze.

"Um a classmate?" She attempted. Urg, fail. She was a really lame person when it came to excuses. Dex, as her best friend, knew that she was hiding something. Of course he would. And he was about as stubborn as Bronte when he wanted to be.

"A classmate? All the way out here?" He posed. Crap, he was onto her.

"Yeah, um, I was passing by and I happen to see her and I thought it was weird and so I came to check up on her. It seems that she just lost something." Sophie rushed. He raised an eyebrow, not buying her story. Then a sudden realization came to her. She narrowed her eyes.

"So why were _you_ 'all the way out here', Dex?" She asked, turning the tables on him. He recoiled, taken back.

"Same as you, was walking by and happen to see you way out here." He stammered. Sophie put a hand on her hip. Rigghhttt, she thought sarcastically. She sighed and stared straight into his eyes.

"How bout we call it a truce and forget this ever happened?" She said, holding out her hand. He gave a small lop sided smile and shook her hand. They looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Still, a perturb feeling settled within Sophie. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something she was missing. What was with that crossed look Soph had when she spoke about Dex? And she mentioned something about a new Elementine. Was it supposed to be a new star that was collected that somehow related back to Elementine? Sophie wanted to scream. Just as she was about to get answers, they just had to be interrupted! And who knows when they'll get another chance to talk! She shot Dex a pointed look when he wasn't looking her way. She followed his line of sight and saw that he was staring at Biana who was busy being surrounded by boys. Sophie felt a sly smirk grow on her face. She walked over to Biana, dragging Dex along.

Immediately as Biana saw them, her face grew bright red as she exchanged a knowing look with Sophie. Sophie winked and gently pushed Dex forward while she came up with an excuse to drive the other boys away. Dex looked back and forth at Biana and Sophie. His eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something to Sophie, but with one glance at Biana, he shut his mouth. His face seemed conflicted, which Sophie took as him being shy. As for Biana, she stood there frozen. Her hand was clenched into a fist and a worried look cast over her eyes, which Sophie assumed that Biana was just unprepared for their sudden meeting. Dex blushed as he caught Biana's eyes staring at him. Sophie suppressed a giggle and tiptoed away. But before she could, a hand reached out for her. Dex spun her around and gave her a frantic look.

"Wait Sophie, I need to tell you something!" He said urgently. Sophie glanced at Biana, confused, but Biana looked away, a hurt expression appearing on her face. Sophie's eyebrows burrowed as she turned her attention to Dex.

"Yeah?" She asked, thinking back to her earlier conversation with Biana. Does Dex really have a crush on her? She really hope not. She couldn't go out with her best friend's crush. Especially not when he's her cousin too. Sophie swallowed, feeling a bit anxious. She didn't want to hear what he was going to say next.

"Sophie, I— I just need to get this out. I need to tell you that I really like—" Sophie snapped her wrist out of his grasp.

"Please don't say it!" She yelled, noticing a few heads turned their way. She glanced over at Biana, who wouldn't look her in the eye. How could he say that in front of Biana? Dread swallowed Sophie up as she struggled to keep up with her confused feelings. She was completely mortified. She didn't want to hurt Dex or Biana. She can't allow him to confess to her. But she didn't want him to think she didn't like him either. She caught Dex's eyes and saw the pain in them. Guilt stabbed her as she backed away from them.

"Sorry, Dex. I— I just can't." She stammered as she dashed off. She didn't even look at where she was running, she just wanted to get away. Her heart couldn't accept his feelings knowing that Biana was deeply affected by it. A tear slipped down her misty brown eyes. Why does everyone near her always end up hurt? Just as she turned a corner, her body collided into someone else, causing her to crash against the lockers. A sharp pain in her ankle caused her to stumble as she tried to stand. A pair of strong hands held her up just before she was about to fall and she looked up to find those dazzling teal eyes.

"Sophie? Are you okay?" Fitz asked, concerned. Sophie avoided his gaze, guilt eating away her soul. Would he hate her again after what she did to Biana? Her mind felt like it was crashing down, breaking into pieces. She hurt both Biana and Dex. Now that she thought more about it, she hurt way more people than just them. She was the cause of Alden's broken mind. She was the reason that got Kenric killed. If only she didn't attempt to look into Prentice's mind. If only she didn't heal Fintan's mind. _It was all her fault._

 _She shouldn't have been born._

 _She shouldn't have been born._

 _She should have died too._

A blonde hair boy walked up behind Fitz and it took a moment for her to recognize him. Keefe abruptly stopped once he was close enough to touch Sophie. His eyes widened as his face filled with fear.

"Fitz, get away from her _now_." Keefe said, pulling on Fitz's arm. Fitz flashed a confused look at Keefe but Keefe shook his head at him. He slowly approached Sophie, carefully holding his hand out, as if she was a frightened animal that would run away anytime.

"Sophie, whatever happened, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath." He said with a soothing but worried voice. Sophie gave him a questioned look but tensed when he touched her arm. Her anxiety increased and she wasn't sure why. Her mind still felt like it was cracking apart, like an earthquake shaking the ground. Was something wrong with her? She couldn't even think clearly anymore. What was going on? Her eyes darted back and forth, crazily. Keefe took her hand in his and winced.

"Sophie… listen to me, you need to _calm down_." Keefe said, alert. Sophie wasn't sure why he was telling her that. She didn't even know if this was reality or not. But her mind felt blank. But it was dragging her down like quicksand. She could barely comprehend what Keefe was saying. All she heard was a curse that escaped his mouth and soon something warm touched her lips. It was soft and filled her with countless of different emotions. Her memories flooded back into her brain and finally she seemed to register what was going on. She blinked and saw Keefe's face very close to hers and gasped as she realized that his lips was on hers. He was kissing her. KISSING. She pushed him away, startled. In fact, everyone else around them seemed too shock to move. Suddenly, Fitz, who recovered the fastest, yanked Keefe away and held him up by his shirt.

"Dude, what the heck were you doing?" He asked, enraged. Keefe held his hands up, showing no offense as he stared into Fitz's eyes. Sophie has never seen Keefe so serious.

"Her mind was about to be _broken_." Keefe answered in a grave tone. The hall fell silent as nobody dared to speak.

"What?!" Sophie squeaked, unable to fathom his words anymore. She covered her ears as she stared off at a blank wall. How? How did she become so weak? She didn't even understand what was going on with her life. Since when did a thirteen year old have so many dramatic things to worry about? Somehow, she had to save the future, which Soph clearly did not elaborate on. And then she had to worry about whether to break one of her best friend's heart or hurt the other one. When did her life become like a T.V. show she used to watch back when she was still living as a human?

She couldn't take it anymore. She tried to run away, but that was a mistake. Her ankle flared with a throbbing sting and she swallowed a cry as she immediately knelt down to tend her injury. Fitz let go of Keefe and quickly ran to aid her. He knelt down in front of her, telling her to get on. Her cheeks flushed as she climbed onto his back and hid her face. She really just wanted to go home.

They didn't speak a word the whole way down to Elwin's office. As soon as they got there, Elwin wrapped her ankle and told her to go home, which she gladly did. Sophie walked as if she was in a trance. Her mind replying over and over the recent events. Even when she didn't want to think about it, the feeling of guilt haunted her. Whenever she closed her eyes, it appeared, making her head ache. When Sophie got to Havenfield, she instantly went to her room. She heard a knock when she dropped like a stone on her bed.

"Come in." She mumbled. Evelyn popped her head in, looking very worried about Sophie.

"I heard from Elwin. How's your ankle feeling?" She asked. Sophie buried her face in her pillows and felt the tears pouring out. She whimpered and let out a sob. It wasn't because of the pain though. Sophie just felt so helpless. She had so much on her mind, and so many things she had to do but didn't know how to. She cried harder and Evelyn came to her side, stoking her hair.

"I don't know what happened, but you'll feel better. Your ankle will heal in time. _Time will fix everything_." She whispered softly, still stoking Sophie's hair. Sophie closed her eyes, willing herself to stop the tears. But her body wouldn't respond to her. Instead, her body shook with hiccups. She felt so weak and pathetic, like a kid having a mental breakdown. She wished she was stronger like Soph. She wish she could fight through this, but she can't. She wasn't strong enough too. Finally, after calming down a bit, she gave in. She didn't want to think about any of this anymore. She avoided Evelyn's eyes and spoke in a whisper.

"Can I have some slumberberry tea **(is that what it's called?)**?" Sophie requested. For a moment, Evelyn was completely shocked. Then slowly, she nodded and furrowed her eyebrows at Sophie.

"Are you sure?" Evelyn said, hesitant. Sophie gave a slight nod and looked away.

"For the pain." Sophie said, numbly. Evelyn looked back once last time before disappearing out of the room. A moment later, she came back with the drink and Sophie greedily chugged it down. The drink slide down her throat and soon her vision became hazed and her senses dulled. Tiredness overcame Sophie and sent her spiraling down in everlasting darkness.

By the time she woke up, it was already night time. The moon rose high above the clouds, sending a silver light through the glass of her window. She heard a light tap and slowly sludged out of her bed. She already knew who it was. And that person was the death of her. Or at least the death of her mind. The cause of her stress and the cause of her problems. Even though it was herself. _Ironic_. She scoffed and reluctantly, she let the girl in. Soph stepped down on Sophie's chair and lightly onto the ground. Her amber brown eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight as she stared Sophie down. Suddenly, Sophie felt a sting on her forehead and realized that Soph just flicked her. She pulled away and glared at her future self.

"What was that for?!" She asked defensively. Soph smirked, putting a hand on her hip. Sophie hated how Soph looked so cool doing that. She was just acting arrogant. Now it was Soph's turn to glare.

"When are you going to get it in your thick skull that I can hear everything you're thinking right now? You know, being a bit confident isn't a bad thing. Unless you want to stay a coward like how you are now." Soph spat. Sophie nostrils flared as her face reddened.

"Whose fault is that?! I wasn't the one who messed everything up! Leaving everyone to die!" Sophie retorted, instantly wanting to take it back as soon it left her mouth. Soph stared, shocked. Then scowled.

"Don't talk like you know everything. You don't know a single thing about my case. And if you haven't already realized, we're the same person. If you don't solve things soon, you'll be the one who will mess things up." Soph snapped, speaking with such a cold voice, it sent shivers down Sophie's back. Soph's eyes lost its glimmer and instead, looked tedious and dead. Sophie glared at the ground, trying to calm herself down. Soph was right, she didn't know anything. But it's not like she didn't want to. If Soph told her already, she wouldn't be stuck and unsure of what to do!

"Two weeks from now." Soph said suddenly. Sophie glanced at her.

"What?" Soph rolled her eyes, running out of patience.

"I'm telling you what will happen. So you'll finally get to know things." Soph said, her voice dipped with annoyance. "Two weeks from now, a new star will be collected by you. You didn't know what it was. But you will now. Apparently it was another uncharted star. It's near Elementine and it's never been discovered before, until you did. It's called Ailementice. Based off the word ailment, meaning a minor sickness. No one knew of its potential danger. In fact, it seemed harmless but it was near one of the most dangerous stars in Elvin history. So anyways, the council arranged a meeting with the wisest and most knowledgeable elves to study it and test it. And that's when things went really bad. They did something wrong. The star exploded and caused a fire. But the flames weren't red. They were black. Sophie, black flames don't exist. They shouldn't exist. But they do. Luckily, it went out quickly. But it left the air toxic and lethal. If you breathe in too much, you'll start the first symptom. And soon it'll keep on going until you're dead. It's like a plague. They won't find a cure in time. It will kill off everyone, Sophie." Soph informed, making the air turn cold and hopeless. Then she stared Sophie straight in the eye. Her usually warm brown eyes darkened as Soph choked on her next words.

"Sophie, the first victim…. It was Grady."


	4. Chapter 4

**I was supposed to update yesterday but it was my mom's bday so I was kind of busy! But here it is! Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to R &R! Thanks!**

 **Also…. I'M SOOOO SORRY I SPELLED EDALINE WRONG IN THE LAST CHAPTER! I SPELLED IT RIGHT IN THE FIRST ONE SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I WROTE EVELYN! I PROBABLY JUST WASN'T THINKING STRAIGHT BUT ANYWAYS… THANK YOU FOREVERFREEFALL FOR POINTING THAT OUT! HOPEFULLY IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!**

Chapter 4- Sophie's POV

The whole world spun, everything around her came crashing down. She couldn't believe her ears. She didn't want to believe them. Her wide eyes stared at a fix point on the ground and she shook her head.

"No," she whispered, tears threatening to come. Soph put her hands on Sophie's shoulder, turning Sophie's attention back on her.

"Look Sophie, We don't have time to mope around. The reason I came and told you all of that is for you to save them." Soph said sternly. Sophie looked up in Soph's brown eyes.

"Them? Who else?" Sophie asked, scared to hear the answer. She's already been told that everyone one would die, but now, it became too real. Soph eyes were filled with sadness.

"Not now, Sophie." She replied. "I'll tell you when you're ready. But not now." Sophie let out a shaky breath. She was kind of relieved that Soph didn't tell her, but her anxiety and curiousness was getting to her. Soph gave a small smile and held out her hand.

"Come on, I need to show you something." Soph whispered, a mischievous smiled grew on her face. Sophie looked at her hand hesitantly.

"Where are we going?" She questioned. Soph's grin grew wider.

"We're sneaking out. My way." Soph answered. She grabbed Sophie's small hand and led her to the window. Soph slide the window open and climbed out. Sophie followed closely behind.

"Now keep your head low, we don't want somebody to see our silhouettes. Since we're on the roof, it'd be easy to spot us from afar." Soph instructed. Sophie did as she was told. Soph then led her to a small ledge that allowed them to climb up on the higher level roof. They kept going up until they reached the highest place on the roof.

"Okay, come here." Soph said, standing on the edge of the roof. Sophie looked down as she went to Soph. It was actually higher than she expected. Though it's not like she's afraid of heights. She did voluntarily jumped off cliffs at some points in her life. But then again, it's not like she had a choice in that either. Soph took her hand and squeezed it lightly.

"Ready?" She asked. Sophie frowned.

"For what?" Soph flashed an evil smile and jump off, dragging a startled Sophie along.

"For this!" Soph yelled as they were plummeting down in the cold air. A crack opened in the air as they dived right in it. Sophie cried out and shut her eyes. She braced herself for the fall that never came. When she reopened her eyes, she saw that she was standing perfectly on soft, green grass. Sophie gasped as she glanced around at the new surroundings. They stood on a field of grass as a small breeze tickled against Sophie's skin. The air smelled clean and the sun shone brightly, even though it was nighttime. Sophie frowned. Wait, it is nighttime. Where exactly are they? She scanned the environment once again. A small forest stood in the far distance, along with a pond and a beautiful waterfall falling from a floating piece of land. Wait, what? Sophie stepped back. A floating waterfall. Where did Soph take her? And why did it seemed so familiar too? She glanced at Soph who laid down on the ground, spreading her arms wide like she was stretching.

"Where did you take me?" Sophie posed. Soph barely took a peek at Sophie before closing her eyes.

"Our training area." She answered courtly. Sophie's eyebrows furrowed as her frown deepened.

"What?" She asked. Soph sighed and sat up.

"Doesn't this place look familiar to you?" Soph questioned. Sophie gave her a confused look.

"Yeah but what does that have to do with anything?" Sophie asked. Soph shrugged and looked around.

"Just try and remember where you last saw this. And then I'll answer the other question." Soph responded. Sophie sat down next to her and closed her eyes. Soph was such a hard person to work with. Why can't she just give her straight forward answers?

"Because where's the fun in that?" Soph spoke suddenly, interrupting Sophie's thought. Sophie rolled her eyes and shot a quick glare at her.

"Stop reading my mind!" She said with an angry sigh. Then she focused back on her thinking. The place was oddly familiar. Like she's been there before. But it also seemed a bit different too. Sophie dug through her muddy memories. Where? She pounded at the question when a sudden thought popped up. Silveny! Silvery took her here before! Sophie opened her eyes and clapped her hands with excitement. That one day when she discovered that Silveny could teleport, Silveny brought her here.

"So you finally figured it out. Great." Soph mumbled, her eyes still shut.

"Yeah but why are we here? And how did we get here?" Sophie asked.

"For training, I told you that. And duh, teleporting. How else? Are you even thinking straight? But anyways, this is a peaceful place so we won't get disturbed or caught. No one but you and I can teleport. If you just try hard enough, you can even teleport here yourself. As for the training, it's because you're going to have to steal the star back from the council when the time comes. And in order to do that, I need to teach you a few tricks. You actually weren't supposed to learn this now, but desperate times cause for desperate needs. Honestly you're probably not even ready to learn this yet since I just learnt it last year so when I was seventeen, but not the point. I need you to learn it now and I'll coach you through it." Soph explained. Sophie was very reluctant in doing this but when she remembered that Grady's life was on the line and who knows who else, she felt very motivated to save them.

"Okay, first I'll teach you how to teleport quickly and in any direction." Soph started. Sophie gave her a questioned look.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Soph stepped back, creating space between her and Sophie.

"Here just watch." She said. A second later, a small black hole appeared and the next second, Soph was gone. Sophie gasped. She didn't even get to blink before Soph teleported. And now that she thought about it, Soph didn't need to jump off a high place. Then why? Sophie didn't even have time to answer her own question before Soph appeared behind her and tackled her, sending Sophie flying towards the ground. Sophie let out a terrified scream while Soph stood up, looking triumphant. As Sophie sat up groaning, she stared daggers at Soph. She shrugged and smiled.

"Don't pout. You'll need to learn that for surprise attacks." Soph said. Sophie brushed off the dirt on her pants. She shook her head.

"I don't— I mean… how did you…?" Sophie stumbled over her words, trying to phase out what just happened. Soph put a hand on her hip.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you well. The next 2 weeks, I'll have you prepared. It'll be during this time, every night. I'll send you home at 5:00 am." Soph explained. Sophie frowned.

"Wait… what about sleep?" Sophie asked, feeling bit worried. Soph just looked at her and smirked.

"You can run on about 3 hours of sleep. I mean, you are _me_. If you need to, then sleep during class." Soph answered simply. Sophie shook her head.

"No way! My grades are already falling!" Sophie exclaimed. Soph's expression turned serious as she gazed at Sophie.

"What's more important? Some stupid grade, or the lives of a million people? You decide." Soph replied coldly. Sophie looked down, defeated. She really didn't like the idea of sleeping during class, but Soph was right. At this moment, it wasn't important. Sophie stood up a bit taller, puffing out her chest. A look of determination crossed her brown eyes.

"Okay, tell me how to do it." Sophie requested, looking straight in Soph's eyes. Soph gave a grin in return.

"That's more like it." She responded. They spent the next few hours practicing fast teleportation. Sophie struggled a whole bunch and she still couldn't get it. Finally she stomped her heel on the ground and let out a frustrated and impatient moan.

"I don't get it! Why can't I do it?!" Sophie wined. Soph frowned upon her.

"It did take me a month to learn it…" Soph mumbled to herself. Stress and worry openly showed upon Sophie's face.

"I don't have a month! I need to learn it in two weeks!" Sophie said, freaking out. Soph's expression softened as she knelt down beside Sophie.

"I know it seems impossible, but it isn't. Okay, I have an idea. We'll have to take baby steps but it will happen in time. First, teleport as much as you can. Don't use your pathfinder. Teleport everywhere. Got it?" Soph instructed. Sophie nodded. "Good. Second, every time you teleport, go from a lower height and keep going till you are on the ground and then attempt it. After doing all of that, you should build up the skills to teleport quickly. After you got that down, all you have to do next is to just imagine yourself wherever. Like imagine you're behind me and then fast teleport." Soph explained. Sophie nodded and said that she'll try it. Soph nodded in approval. Then the few hours left, Soph taught Sophie close up combat. Once it was time, they teleported back home.

"Sophie, here." Soph said when they arrived in Sophie's room. She held her hand out and placed something cold in Sophie's hand. Sophie's eyes widened as she glanced at the dagger in her hand. She looked up at Soph, alarmed. Soph gave a smirk and turned on her heels.

"You'll need that. Hide it under your uniform and strap it in your belt." Soph ordered. With a small wave, she was gone. Sophie stared at the knife in her trembling hands. She really hope she didn't have to ever use it against anyone. Silently praying, she tucked herself in bed. Before she knew it, fatigue took over and washed away Sophie's worries, taking her under a blanket of darkness.

* * *

"Sophie! Sophie!" She heard someone call. She frowned in the darkness. Seriously, who was disturbing her? She mumbled a go away and continue to sleep.

"SOPHIE!" A harsh whispered sliced through Sophie's sleep and she prayed her eyes open. Through her foggy vision, she saw a figure in front of her. Her frowned deepen.

"What?" She asked, confused. As her vision cleared, she focused on the person in front of her. It was Lady Galvin. The one teacher who probably still had a grudge on her for ruining her cape.

"Sleeping during class, I see." She said sternly, glaring down at Sophie. Actually it's just study hall, she thought to herself. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Keefe shaking his head, his hand covering his eyes.

"Wait, what are you doing here anyways?" Sophie asked, wondering why Lady Galvin wasn't teaching a class. Lady Galvin frowned.

"I was put in charge of this study hall since the other teacher was absent." She answered. "But sleeping in study hall is not acceptable. Detention." Sophie gaped at her.

"What!? But—" Sophie started before stopping herself. I'm saving the world and you can't even give me a break? Sophie thought bitterly. She stared down at the table, refusing to look at anyone else. Sleep was catching up to her but she knew she couldn't waste any more time. She had to get training. She heard a slight whisper calling her name and a piece of paper landed in front of her. She glanced in the direction it was thrown from and saw Keefe nodding at it. Sophie sighed and opened the crumpled up paper. She read the note:

 _Hey, you okay? You seem tired. Everyone else is worried too._

Sophie scanned each and every one of her friends. Dex seemed very worried and Biana was avoiding her like the plague. Fitz also looked concerned and Keefe was winking at her. She frowned and tuck the piece of paper away. She gave a small, strained smile to Keefe, trying to assure that she was fine. But he probably could tell she wasn't. In fact, she felt like crap. She got only three hours of sleep and had to hold the pressure of saving the Elvin world, alone. Sophie groaned and covered her eyes with her hands. Not to mention, Biana might hate her now and she hurt Dex by ignoring his feelings for her. But she also hurt Fitz by blocking him out of her mind. She was just such a great friend, she thought sarcastically. Her mind was almost broken yesterday too. Suddenly, she recalled the kiss with Keefe. Her cheeks grew hot as she tried to wipe away the memory. She focused her gaze on the table, not daring to look around at her friends anymore. She remembered the soft feeling of Keefe's lips and how they brought warmth to her. He saved her. By a kiss. She was like a princess in a movie. God, how pathetic could she get? She slammed her hand down on the table, making everyone in the room jolt up.

"Do you need something?" Lady Galvin spoke with a warning tone. Sophie, realizing what she just did, turned bright pink.

"Um… I'm not feeling well. I'm going to the Healing center." She answered, embarrassed. She saw Fitz jump out of his seat.

"I'll take her there, in case she's feeling too unwell." He announced, walking over to her. She tensed, not really wanting to talk to him. Or anyone really. Especially since she wasn't actually planning to go to Elwin. Lady Galvin nodded and the two of them left on their way. They walked in silence, awkwardness drifted in the air between them. Fitz glanced at her, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

 ** _Are you okay?_ ** He transmitted. Sophie flinched but instantly regretted it due to the hurt expression that flashed on Fitz's face. She looked down at her moving feet.

 ** _I'm sorry, I didn't mean too._** She transmitted back. He nodded, forgiving her. Then he gazed into her eyes, serious.

 ** _Seriously, Sophie. What's wrong?_** His voice echoed in her head. She frowned.

 ** _Nothing._** She answered back courtly. Now it was his turn to frown. He reached for her hand. She stopped short when she felt his warm hands gripping hers. She stared into his gorgeous teal eyes.

 ** _I know you're lying. You can tell me. Trust me, please._** His eyes begged her and guilt took over her.

 ** _I'm sorry, that day. I didn't mean to block you out. I was just stressed and still unused to someone going through my mind. And… um… I just had a lot of things on my mind_**. She transmitted to him. He nodded, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath.

 ** _Well for one, and you can't tell this to anybody but… Dex likes me._** She told him. A smile grew in the corner of his mouth.

 ** _That's not anything new._** He transmitted back. She sighed.

 ** _Biana likes Dex though._** She informed. Instantly, Fitz's eyes widened and he stepped back in surprise.

"No way!" He shouted, making Sophie winced at the sudden noise. She gave Fitz a look.

 ** _Quiet!_** She warned. He nodded his head.

 ** _But I thought she liked Keefe!_** He transmitted. Sophie shook her head.

 ** _That's what I thought too. But apparently she's over it._** She replied. He shook his head in disbelief. He whistled and let out a small laugh.

"Wow, that's unexpected." He said. Sophie nodded, pain returning in her eyes.

"Dex told me he liked me with Biana there and I kind of rejected his confession and Biana's avoiding me now." Sophie said sadly. Fitz put his hands on her shoulder.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" He asked. Sophie shook her head.

"No! She'll probably hate me more when she finds out that I told you." She said, looking down. Fitz turned her chin up, making her look at him.

"Hey don't worry. Biana will get over it soon and Dex is your best friend, he'll come around too." Fitz said, staring into her eyes.

"I hope." She said.

"Was that what you couldn't tell me about?" He asked.

"Huh?" She looked confused.

"During our telepathy session. You said you couldn't tell me." He answered. Realization shot her in the head.

"Oh! Um… yeah." She said, averting her gaze. Fitz frowned, but he let it pass. Sophie couldn't possibly tell him about Soph. She silently apologized to him.

"Is this why you were feeling guilty yesterday?" He asked, suddenly. Sophie looked at him again, staring into his mesmerizing eyes.

"Uh, yeah." She told him. Well it was part of it. "I kind of just thought back to Kenric and…" She sighed, not wanting to elaborate. Fitz nodded, understanding. They fell silent again. During this moment, Sophie finally realized how close they were standing together and how his arms were wrapped around her shoulder, almost like he was embracing her. Their faces were only inches apart. Her eyes fixated on his lips. Yeah, they were wayyyy to close, she thought. Just as she was about to break out of their embrace, Fitz leaned towards her.

 ** _Thanks for telling me._** He transmitted. Sophie nodded, her voice locked away. He was really really close! And he smelled really good! Her mind clouded as she saw his lips coming closer to his. She closed her eyes. Suddenly Keefe popped into her head. Her mind flooded with memories of him kissing her. He was her first kiss. Sophie gasped as she back away from Fitz. Why was Keefe in her head? Doesn't she like Fitz? She looked up and saw a pain expression on Fitz's face. He avoided looking in her eyes, his cheeks turning red.

"So it can only be Keefe." He muttered angrily under his breath. Sophie stood frozen as Fitz started to walk away. Her mind was jumbled up. He was about to kiss her. What? She was left dumbfounded as he stormed off. His broad back was barely visible to Sophie as she watched him become closer and closer to a black dot in the distance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya guys! Sorry for such a long wait for this update but I really wanted to finish Project Moonlark 2 so I could put all my focus on this story… you know, other than school and my social life. Gee, I hope you guys didn't lose interest in this story! I've also been really busy so please be patient with me! But more importantly…**

 **Thank you to both Xylia Neo and thesuperawesomebookworm for following this story! It honestly made my day!**

 **So now the wait is over! Chapter 5 is here! Please read and review! Thx! :)**

Chapter 5- Sophie's POV

Five days have passed since the time Fitz tried to kiss her. And since then, Fitz joined the "I'm-avoiding-Sophie" group along with Dex and Biana. Even though that made Sophie super depressed, she had no choice but to carry on. She tried talking about it with Soph, figuring it was fine to consult to herself. Sadly, Soph was a terrible pep talker. All she did was tell Sophie that it was easier for her to not get them involved with their dangerous task. And it was true. Sophie didn't want to risk her friends finding out because she knew that they'd force her to let them help, which means that her friends could get hurt. And she'd rather die herself then let any of her friends die. But it was still stressing to hold all the pressure for possibly saving or destroying the world. One false move and everything would be messed up. She'd lose. Everything. And Sophie would definitely not let that happen.

Luckily, during these five days, Sophie's training with Soph became very productive. In this very week, she had already learned how to enlarge her inflicting field. Her inflicting range increased by allowing her to inflict ten people at once that are within 3 yards to her. It was a big accomplishment since she usually couldn't do that many people before. They also worked on her telekinesis. It didn't seem like a special skill but it turned out to be very useful. Soph made Sophie practice every day and now Sophie was capable of lifting a heavy boulder in a time span of a second. Not to mention, with her telekinesis skills increasing, she could easily sneak the jar of Ailementice by using her powers. And Sophie was super proud when she could perfectly defend herself with the dagger. Her fighting skills has gotten so much better, she wished someone would congratulate her. But of course that wasn't possible since no one is supposed to know that she can knock out a guy with a single punch now, and without Dex's little device to help her out. And Soph would never even give Sophie one small break. She knew that Soph was being hard on her to probably fix all the regrets she had about not being able to do anything in the past, but still, Sophie was seriously going to pass out one of these days. She's been training nonstop for most of the night. She barely gotten any sleep and still has to keep up with her grades in school. It was putting too much of a strain on her. She really didn't know how long she could last, but she didn't have a choice. She had to be strong or everyone would suffer for it.

"No Sophie. You have kick them right here." Soph's voice rang out, snapping Sophie back into the present. She gazed to where Soph was pointing at her neck. Her eyebrows arched.

"You want me to kick you in the neck?" She asked, probably sounding extremely dumb. Soph let out an impatient sigh and messaged her temples.

"No, you idiot. I need you to pay attention to your freaking lesson. You are Sophie freaking Foster. Get your act together already!" Soph yelled. Then taking a deep breath, Soph quietly mumbled numbers under her breath. When she finally looked up again, her facial expressions were much more relaxed.

"Okay. I'll say it again. When you go against someone, you can't let them get close to you—" Soph started.

"Well duh. Obviously." Sophie retorted, rolling her eyes. Soph sent her a chilling glare and Sophie immediately shut her mouth. She wasn't even sure why she was so scared of Soph, it was practically the same thing as being scared of yourself. It's not like Soph would actually hurt her.

"Anyways. When you kick them, aim for their neck. It's a vital area and would take then some time to recover. But if they do catch you as you're about to kick, then quickly pivot and kick with you other foot. And if they ever grab your leg as you kick, use your foot to push yourself off the ground then immediately turn your body and swing your other leg at them. Here I'll show you what I mean." Soph explained. After she demonstrated, she motioned for Sophie to try it. And after failing way too many times to count anymore, Soph let out a disappointed sigh.

"Never mind, we'll go over it again tomorrow. For now, show me what you have learned." Soph ordered with a smug smile. Sophie gave a confident smile of her own. Whenever Soph asked her what she learned, Sophie knew that they were about to spar. It was like a code word… or sentence. Each night they sparred at least once, going one-on-one combat with each other. Of course, most times Soph won, but occasionally Sophie did get Soph sometimes too. But with all of that fighting, she gotten some really bad bruises from Soph. Though Soph was extra careful of where to lay a punch or kick, knowing that hurting Sophie's face might lead to being questioned by Grady or Edaline. So most times it was on her arm or shoulder or back, which could easily be hid with her clothes and cloak.

Sophie fell back with a thud. She let out a yelp as her butt hit the hard dirt. She winced and groaned as Soph walked closer, casting a shadow on poor Sophie. Soph folded her arms and smiled triumphantly.

"Owee…. Ow ow ow." Sophie muttered as she got up to wipe off the dirt. Soph snorted and the corners of her mouth turned into a smile.

"Here, we need to bandage you up. Where did you get hurt?" Soph asked. It was her daily question since Sophie always got injured by sparring with Soph. Sophie pointed to a small cut on her arm and a bruise near it. Sophie let out an exasperated moan.

"You didn't have to go so hard on me!" Sophie wined. Soph gave her a hard look as she carefully wrapped up Sophie's cut.

"You really think that your enemy will go easy on you?" She asked with a stern voice. Sophie breathed out and looked down at her feet.

"Urg… no." She mumbled. Silence drifted in between them. Soph quietly wrapped up her cuts and bruises while Sophie sat on a nearby rock, swinging her legs as she waited for Soph to finish. Finally, after a little while, Soph spoke up.

"How's your fast teleportation going?" She asked. Sophie glanced at the light sky and sighed, closing her eyes.

"Doing baby steps, like you said. I'm getting better but I'm not even close to doing it at all. I still have to jump off somewhere high. Though not a cliff anymore. I've been working on jumping lower and yesterday I safely teleported off our house. You know, the same place you jumped when showing me our secret escape route. This time, I'm going to try jumping from only 2 stories high." Sophie reported. Soph nodded her head in approval.

"That's a good improvement at least. Keep it up. You'll probably fast teleport in no time." Soph praised. Sophie felt her heart lighten. It was the first time Soph said anything close to a praise towards Sophie. Soph gave her a look.

"I praised you a lot of times!" Soph denied. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right. The time when you said 'at least you kicked better than Dex' does not count as a praise. It was more like an insult." Sophie corrected. Soph scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She said. "It's time. Let's go back. You need as much sleep as you can get. You look terrible." She scrunched up her nose and winkled it. Sophie glared at her.

"Gee thanks. I wonder why." She said sarcastically as they made their way back.

The next morning, Sophie had to drag herself to the bathroom. She practically got only three hours of sleep and she is honestly wondering how her body can even function. As she made her way to the bathroom, she noticed her reflection in the mirror. She gasped at the horrid view. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. Guess that's how bad things can get after almost a week by running on just three hours of sleep. She really did looked terrible.

"Gee, you look dead." Vertina commented. Sophie glared at her.

"Yeah I didn't need you to tell me that." Sophie grumbled. Her hair was like a bird's nest, all over the place and sticking out everywhere. She hastily threw it up in a messy bun and looked at her reflection again. Dark circles shown under her eyes, making her already dull brown eyes even duller and weary. Her face lost its usual bright color and instead was pale and sickly. Not to mention, cuts and bruises were found everywhere on her body, all except her face. She made sure to cover them up with her cloak. Once she was done getting ready, she trudged downstairs. She really wanted more than anything to go back to sleep. But her grades were already falling apart. Just like her life.

As she entered the kitchen, Edaline let out a gasp, making Grady look up from the newspaper he was reading. They looked at Sophie, expressing all their worries and concerns on their faces. Edaline rushed up to Sophie and cupped her face in her hands, examining her face from every angle. Her eyebrows scrunched up.

"Sophie, honey! Are you feeling sick?!" Edaline agonized, obviously in panic with Sophie's poor health. Sophie just rolled her eyes and pushed Edaline's hands off her. Not the best move. Edaline's face immediately went from concerned to hurt. Sophie sighed. When you're tired, you're grumpy. It's not rocket science. But then again, they wouldn't know that. They just thought she always slept like normal. Grady walked over to them and glanced at Sophie.

"Sophie are you okay?" He asked. "Do you need to take a day off from school? I can call in for you." Sophie shook her head in protest.

"No I feel fine." Big lie. "I just haven't been sleeping that well in the past few days." Somewhat the truth. Grady nodded his head then pat her on her head.

"Alright. Just tell us whenever you feel sick. You can always stay home, you know." He replied. She nodded and chugged down her breakfast. Then she was up on her feet and out door.

When she finally arrived at school, it felt like she was walking to her doom. Practically all of her friends were avoiding her and her classes were definitely not something to look forward to. As she headed to her first class, she passed by Fitz. When he saw her, he instantly ducked down and sped his way across the hall, staying very close to the wall and very far away from her. She sighed and let it go. She stopped calling out to him after the third time, knowing that it wouldn't do a thing. Plus she was too utterly exhausted to even care anymore. All that was on her mind was sleep. And that was exactly what she did. Without intending to, she slept through all her classes and of course got caught a couple of times, getting detention once again. She didn't even mind it anymore. It gave her an excuse to not go to lunch and see all her friends that were straying away from her. But it did mean she'd probably had to spend more time with Keefe. Not that she minded that either. He was one of the only ones left that stuck with her. She remembered him telling her once that he'd never hate her, and that honestly made her heart warm. Those are the words she always wanted to hear. And so far, he stuck to his statement too. And she was really grateful for that. Sophie was always scared that one day everyone would leave her because she was a freak or malfunctioning again. Or if she hurt another person like how she broke Alden's mind. Fitz was so mad at her, she thought he'd never forgive her. And that scared her. A LOT. It was one of the darkest moments in her life and an even that she never wants to repeat. She shook her head, getting rid of her thoughts. She couldn't think so negatively like that, she told herself.

When she got to detention, she instantly saw the familiar blonde hair and the star gazing smile that made every girl's heart swoon. Sophie made her way to Keefe and slumped up against the wall next to him.

"Hey, looks like its Lady Belva today." He informed with a smirk. Sophie groaned.

"I really can't take another day of dancing with…" She made a face as her eyes settled on Valin. "Ew no please. Not today. I can't take this today." She complained, rubbing her temples. She felt like crying. The stress was really getting to her now. It was like one of those moody days when all the worries crashes together. It made Sophie want to mentally breakdown. She had a lot of worries and being sleep deprived doesn't help her case of grumpiness. Keefe, probably noticing her surge in emotional stress, rubbed her back in a comforting way.

"Hey it's okay, because you dancing with me this time." He said, flashing a smile. Sophie looked over at Lady Belva and frowned.

"Isn't she just going to force you to dance with her like always?" She asked, skeptically. Keefe shrugged.

"Eh, I'll already be dancing with you. She wouldn't want to make an obvious move on her student." He said with a wink. Then without any warnings, he slipped his hand into hers and pushed her closer to him. She let out a surprised gasp. She gazed up at Keefe. Even though he seemed like such a troublemaker, he was actually one of the sweetest guys. She started feeling a smile on her face. Yep, he always made her feel better. They continued to dance, stepping in perfect synchronization. Then the twirl came. Keefe extended his arms and she spun, laughing. However, her sleeves slipped down, low enough to expose her bruises and cuts. Keefe's eyes widened as he saw them.

"What are those?" He asked, alarmed. His eyes were widened and his face was full of dread. Crap, she got caught. Sophie instantly let go of his hand and covered them up. She avoided his gaze and looked at the clock. Only a few more minutes, she chanted. She needed to stall. She shifted her foot and inched away from him. She laughed nervously.

"What are you talking about? I got those from Iggy." She said. He shook his head and frowned.

"You are a terrible liar." He replied, reaching for her sleeve. She side stepped, avoiding him and backed away, whipping her arms out far from his grasp. She sighed. It was true. Lying would do her no use. But that didn't mean she had to necessarily tell him.

"It's really nothing to worry about, okay Keefe?" She said hostilely. He gave her a dubious look.

"You've been looking real tired for the past few days. What exactly have you been doing?" He questioned, completely onto her. She was actually somewhat impressed that he noticed. Not that it wasn't obvious or anything, because she was positive that the bags under her eyes could be seen from a mile away. But now she was stuck. She had absolutely no clue on how to answer his question. Any lie, he would be able to detect it. Fortunately, the bell sounded, saving her. She gave Keefe a sheepish grin and excused herself, rushing to her next class. She didn't even bother to glance back at him, it would only cause her trouble.

The day carried on and soon school was finally over. Sophie let out a cheer as she rushed to her locker to collect her things. She needed as much time as she could get to start her training. Ever since she's seen Soph fast teleport, she's been dying to get it right. Not only was it super useful, but it was so cool. Today she had to attempt to jump from the second story window. She knew of a certain classroom that would be empty after school and almost no one went down those hallways too. Meaning, she wouldn't have to worry about being spotted by a student or her friends when she practices.

She hurried over to the specific room and perched on the window seal. She pushed opened the window and felt a small breeze tickled against her skin. She closed her eyes, soaking in the warm sunlight. If it was on another day, she would have laid on soft grass and take a nap. But she couldn't waste any time. She needed to train. She quickly opened her eyes and braced herself. She slowly started to stand up, grabbing on both edges of the window for stability. Just as she was about to jump, she heard a shout come from behind her.

"Are you insane?!" Keefe yelled, rushing over to her. She winced at how loud his voice was. She was sure that people heard him. Her heart paced as she whipped her head in his direction.

"What are you doing here?!" She whispered harshly. She glanced outside and saw some of the students, who were walking out, were now looking over at her. Darn it! She probably looked crazy, trying to jump out of a window and all. Keefe just had to be so loud and catch everyone's attention. Just what she didn't want.

"Uh I was following you because you acted so very suspicious during detention. Duh. And now that I see that you're trying to kill yourself… I guess it was the right thing to do." He said, his voice dipped with sarcasm. She glared at him.

"All you did was mess everything up! Gosh Keefe, what's your problem?!" She snapped. She immediately regretted saying those words. She knew that she was just really tired and had a lot of things to get done, but that wasn't an excuse to make it okay to yell at her friend. She breathed in deeply, calming her nerves. She glanced out the window again. She spotted Biana, Dex, and Fitz all staring at her with wide eyes down below. They were talking to each other with worried expressions and started running back inside the building. She sighed. They were probably making their way up her right now. She turned back to Keefe. Summoning her telekinesis power, she pushed him up against the wall. He let out a startled whoa and stared at her in shock.

"How did you—" He stammered but was cut short when she turned around and prepared to jump. She could hear footsteps thumping against the floor. No doubt her other friends coming to get her. She had to jump now. Even when people were watching, it was already too late to come up with a believable lie. Like honestly, she was saving their lives. She knew that they didn't even know it but still…

"Urg whatever! Screw this!" Sophie yelled in frustration. She got ready to jump, letting down her guard. She no longer constricted Keefe with her telekinesis power, allowing for him to get free and charge at her. Just as she flung herself out the window, she felt a hand grabbing onto hers, but it didn't matter. Whoever it was, they were coming down with her.

The wind was whistling in her ear. She could hear the screams and collective gasps as they fell. They were heading to the ground faster than Sophie thought. She struggled to stay focused. She tried to teleport but nothing happened. Panic rose in her body and all she could see was the ground getting closer and closer. She squeezed her eyes shut. She was going to die. She opened them just in time to see the ground nearly an inch from her face when she let out a scream. Finally the void opened in the ground, sucking her in.

The next moment, she felt herself land in a heap. She groaned and rubbed her aching back. She glanced around at her surroundings and noticed that she was back at her usual training place. She pumped up her fist in happiness and cheered. A bright smile grew on her face.

"Yes! I did it!" She shouted in joy. But she stopped short when she heard a groan from behind her. She looked back to see Keefe on the ground, slowly getting up. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. She remembered feeling a hand grab onto her. She almost forgotten that. She glanced at Keefe. He must have grabbed her as she jumped and fell in the portal with her. She stayed silent, watching him from a distance as his vision and head cleared. Once it did, he stood straight up, alert and alarmed. He spotted Sophie and stormed up to her. To her surprised, he put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. He squeezed her tightly, his eyes shut and his face contorted in both relief and worry. His breathing was heavy as he spoke.

"You're okay…" He whispered softly, still embracing her. She felt heat rise up to her cheeks. Her arms stood still by her sides, unsure of what to do. But slowly, she wrapped her arms around him. But after a while, he pushed her back, his hands on her shoulder.

"What were you thinking?!" He yelled at her. Sophie looked at him, shocked. He has never risen his voice at her before. She stayed silent, a bit scared and flabbergasted to speak. Keefe was really scary when he was angry.

"You could have died, Sophie! What exactly were you planning to do?! Kill yourself?!" He screamed. "I never took you to be such an idiot!" Okay… ouch. Her cheeks were flaming as she finally snapped. She hated being yelled at. It made her feel so crappy. And she didn't need anything more to stress about.

"Will you shut up!? No one asked for you to get in my way! And if you haven't noticed, we're still alive right now!" She yelled back angrily. She clenched her hands in a tight fist. Keefe stayed quiet at this, and closed his eyes. He rubbed his temples and started pacing back and forth. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"Okay, where are we then?" He asked, a lot calmer now. Sophie's face paled. Ah that's right. He wasn't supposed to know about this place. But before she could answer she heard a portal opening. Her attention shifted towards the noise and soon she saw Soph standing there. Why was she here? It wasn't even night yet. Sophie felt the urge to face palm herself. _God, Soph, you have such bad timing_ , Sophie thought. The three of them stood in silence as their brains were processing the sudden meeting. Keefe's jaw dropped to the floor as he gaped back and forth at Soph and Sophie.

"There are two Sophies…" He mumbled to himself, dumbfounded. "Oh my god…." He backed away and brushed his hand through his hair. Soph stared at him, horrified. Her expressions turned very complicated.

"Keefe." She spoke so quietly that Sophie thought she imagined it. But before she knew it, a single tear fell from Soph's honey brown eyes, and her body collided with Keefe's. Sophie gaped at them. Right before her eyes, she saw Soph's lips planted right on his. _Oh no she didn't._


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you everyone for reviewing! I love it when I know that people are reading my stories and enjoying it so I just wanted to tell everyone that! Please keep R &R! :)**

 **To THE ULTIMATE FAN: Whew that was one long review! I read through all your points and yeah I see what you mean. That's why I feel that Shannon would make Sophie end up with Fitz in the book. But anyways, don't worry because there is both a win win situation I'm making for this story so both Sophitz and Keefster fans will be happy… at least I hope they will!**

 **To Selena202021: Aw that's really sweet! See people like you are the kind who motivates me to keep writing!**

 **To ForeverFreeFall: Here! You finally get the update you really wanted! Though this chapter is probably one of the shorter ones… it's mostly just a set up for the next one! I have such a "sweet" surprise for you for chapter 7! Hehe guess you have to find out later! ;)**

 **To thesuperawesomebookworm: You say your fangirling… HA! You should see what I'm like when I read your fanfics! I go all out crazy, I mean you obviously read my reviews so you should know how much I love your writing and how much I love your story! But I'll try and make you fangirl a lot more with my next chapter! :)**

 **To Guests (there were a few of you guys): If you were confused… it was supposed to be like that. See the kiss Soph gave to Keefe was supposed to be sudden and like out of the blue so it's natural to feel confused on what I left you. And I just want to thank all the guests reading and reviewing since I don't really know who you guys are but I LOVE YOU ALL! And to my most recent guest post… I was kind of confused? What did you want me to review? Or did you mean update? Oh well, I'll figure it out later! Anyways plz keep reading! The story is only going to get even more interesting!**

 **Wow… I haven't done that in a while. Hope I got everyone…. Well anyways… Enjoy!**

Chapter 6- Sophie's POV

It was like somebody stopped time. Sophie's mind was blank as her brain tried to register the sight she was seeing. But the only thing she could focus on was Soph's lip touching Keefe's and for some reason that made Sophie's blood boil. Her cheeks flamed as she saw Soph part from the stunned Keefe. Sophie could see a slight blush on his cheeks and it made her even madder. Wait. Why was she mad in the first place? Was it because Keefe already kissed her? Or did she harbor some kind of romantic feelings for him? Sophie shook her head at that possibility. No she couldn't be jealous of her own self because technically, she was kissing Keefe but at the same time she wasn't. But then again, Soph was like another person but in reality Soph was actually Sophie from the future so wouldn't it mean she was jealous at her own self?

Okay mind overloading! Sophie felt like ripping her hair out. She couldn't even get her feelings on the right track! It just made her more confused! Sophie let out a frustrated groan and pulled on her hair. SHE JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND! The world was seriously playing tricks on her. She was jealous of herself which means she shouldn't be jealous overall since it's still her! LIKE WHAT?! That doesn't make it less confusing!

Sophie glared at Soph, feeling utter betrayal. Why did Soph kiss him? She didn't know. She'd have to ask her later though. Sophie glanced back at the frozen Keefe. Yeah, she'd have to ask her later. Keefe's brain was on _shut down_ mode. Sophie was starting to wonder if he was okay when he didn't move a single muscle. It was kind of weird to see Keefe like this. His jokester defenses were never down. He must have really gotten a shock. Sophie waved her hand in front of Keefe's face. His hand grabbed onto hers and his icy blue eyes finally fixated on her.

"Foster, what the heck is going on?" He asked, his mind still processing the situation. Sophie cocked her head at Soph, waiting to receive permission to talk. Soph stood awkwardly to the side and slightly nodded her head. Sophie faced Keefe again and took in a deep breath.

"Okay Keefe, you're not going to believe what happened to me." Sophie started. Then after explaining everything, which took hours long, they sat in silence. Keefe brushed his hand through his perfect hair and kept his eyes on the ground.

"Gee Sophie, you've been through a lot this week. Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped with something at least." Keefe said with a smug grin. "Way to make a guy feel useless for the girl he likes."

"Well I couldn't have told you or—" Sophie blinked. "Wait what?" She stared at Keefe with her big, round eyes. Did she just imagine it or did Keefe just say something extremely important. Keefe smirked, making Sophie's heart flutter.

"What 'what'? Go on." Keefe said, his grin never leaving his face. Sophie blinked again and eyed him suspiciously. Did he say what she thought he said? After pondering about it for another second, she shook her head. She must have imagined it.

"I didn't want you to get involved because you might end up hurt, Keefe!" She said. He raised an eyebrow at her, his smile fell, replaced with a serious frown.

"And that makes it okay for _you_ to get hurt?" Keefe questioned, his voice hard. "I'm not some boy who _needs_ protecting, Foster. I'm the type of boy who _protects_ his little princess." Soph scoffed at this.

"Really? And who's that princess you'd be protecting? Because I'm positive that Sophie won't need it." Soph said, a bit defensive. Her eyes lingered on Keefe longer than normal, Sophie noted. However, Keefe, completely unfazed by her comment just grinned. He ignored Soph as his eyes focused on Sophie.

"So since she's your future self and happened to force a kiss on me, does that mean you like me?" Keefe asked. Sophie paused as Soph's face became flustered. Soph covered her lips with her hands and averted her gaze.

"It was just because I missed you! That's all!" She said, flustered. Sophie looked blankly at Soph. What did she mean by that? Did Keefe move away somewhere in the future? He probably went somewhere safer. Keefe's smile broaden.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." He said. Soph's eye's turned cold at this.

"Sorry Keefe. But I don't like you in that way. I already have someone I love who I devoted my life to." She replied. Both Keefe and Sophie looked up at her, surprised. Keefe's face seemed crestfallen and Sophie didn't know what to make of the new information.

"What? Who?" She asked. Soph shook her head and waved her off.

"I can't tell you that. I've already said too much." Soph sighed. She looked up again and stepped next to Keefe. She smiled at something.

"What?" Keefe asked, his mood seemed different. Sophie cocked an eyebrow at him. She didn't have to be an empath to figure out that Keefe seemed a bit off when Soph mentioned that she had a lover.

"Now that I'm older than you, I'm also taller too." Soph said with a cheerful smile. Sophie compared the two. It was true. Though Soph was barely a centimeter taller, she was still taller. Keefe laughed as he also compared their height.

"But I bet when I'm you age, I'd be taller than you." Keefe responded. A disturbed expression flashed across Soph's face but disappeared the second it appeared.

"Maybe." She laughed, her voice strained. They stood in silence when a sudden ring made them jump. Keefe checked his imparter and let out a groan.

"I have to go. Dad's calling." He grumbled. He looked up at Soph. "I can light leap out of here, right?" Soph thought for a moment before she shook her head.

"No, but I can teleport you back." She said, snapping her fingers. Straightaway, the familiar black whole appeared. Keefe gaped at Soph then shifted his attention to Sophie.

"So I'm guessing in the future, you'll be a heck lot stronger than you already are. Can't wait to discover what else the mysterious Foster has up her sleeves." He smirked before entering the void. The swirling hole then zapped out of existence leaving Sophie and Soph alone. Sophie glanced at Soph and shifted her foot. Inside, she was still raging about the kiss. But she was also curious on why she kissed Keefe when she already had someone she loved. Sophie frowned. Don't tell me I'm going to be one of _those_ people in the future, she shuddered at the horrid thought, earning herself a glare from Soph.

"Don't be ridiculous! I have reasons!" She spat.

"Then when are you ever going to tell me them?" Sophie asked, exasperated. Soph never tells her anything and isn't it her right to know what goes on in the future since she's the one saving it? Not to mention it was also her own personal life that she wanted to know about yet it was off limits to her. Like seriously?

"I'll tell you when the time's right, okay? Just be patient." Soph sighed. Then she looked at the sky and frowned. "It's not time for training yet. You could use the extra time to take a nap or do whatever." Just as she said this, sudden realization came to Sophie. She gave Soph a suspicious look.

"Why are you even here then? I thought you only came down at night." Sophie asked. Soph shrugged and sat down on the soft grass.

"Who would want to stay in the future? The longer I stay there, the greater the possibility of me catching the sickness. Even if there is protective gear, it doesn't ensure your safety. It just blocks out most of the toxic air but it doesn't get rid of it. Meaning you can still catch the sickness." Soph explained.

"But don't you have a certain time limit on how long you can stay here due to your powers?" Sophie asked. Soph nodded.

"Yeah so that why I stay as long as I can." She answered. Then she motioned for Sophie to leave. "Go, I want some time off for myself. You'll just be pestering me with questions." Sophie frowned at Soph's rudeness.

"Okay, gosh! Fine I'll leave. No need to be rude." Sophie remarked, teleporting away. She returned home to find Grady and Edaline waiting for her with stern and worried faces.

"Where have you been?!" Edaline cried, rushing towards Sophie, grabbing her up in a hug. Sophie could tell by Edaline's red, puffy eyes that she'd been crying again. Grady slowly approached them and frowned.

"Sophie, care to explain why Fitz, Biana, and Dex came charging up to our house, asking where you were, and looking very worried?" Grady posed, cocking an eyebrow up with a knowing look. Sophie looked down. They came looking for her? So did that mean they weren't ignoring her anymore? And that they weren't mad at her either? Sadly, she wouldn't get a chance to figure it out. She first had to convince Grady and Edaline that there was nothing to worry about.

"I was just with Keefe. We were talking, that's all." She answered, which technically was the truth. However, Grady wasn't done with the subject.

"So then why did Alden come over to inform us that both Biana and Fitz saw you jumping out of a window on floor 2?" Grady questioned. Sophie let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. Did Fitz and Biana really have to tell Alden everything?

"Yeah about that…" Sophie started. "I was just trying to see if I could teleport instead of light leaping since… I mean… I still have nightmares about light leaping ever since I almost disappeared, you know?" She said, making her voice quieter. She made her lips quiver to add a little more drama to her little facade she was putting on. She forced her eyes to tear up a bit to make her look more believable. It seemed to have work since both Edaline's and Grady's expression seemed to soften.

"Okay… just be sure to tell us where you're going next time, okay?" Edaline requested. Sophie nodded, feeling a bit guilty for making her worry so much. She knew Edaline was very traumatized already by Jolie's death so if another one of her daughters die, it would break her heart. Sophie quickly excused herself and went to her room. She took a short nap then proceeded out with her homework. After she finished, she headed downstairs for dinner, which passed by without any more questions or problems. Finally it was time for her training. Soph stopped picking Sophie up at Havenfield since now Sophie could teleport herself just fine. Instead, Soph was usually waiting for Sophie at their meeting place.

Once Sophie heard the door to Edaline's and Grady's room close, she lifted the covers and got out of bed. Silently, she tiptoed out to the hallway, making sure everyone was asleep. Then she quietly slipped out the window and teleported to the training place. Once she arrived there, she expected Soph to be waiting there. However, there was no one to be seen. Sophie frowned. Where was Soph? She was always here before her. Did something happen? Sophie started to get worried. She decided to wait until Soph got there and sat on a nearby rock. But soon, negative thoughts started building and Sophie could no longer stand sitting down. She started pacing in circles until finally, she heard footsteps. Soph walked up to Sophie with a tired expression on. Dark circles appeared under her eyes. Sophie frowned when she saw her in such a devastating state.

"Did something bad happen?" She asked. Soph barely looked at Sophie, her mind seemed to be occupied with other things.

"There's nothing that concerns you. Now, start with the warm up." Soph said tiredly. Sophie did as she was told, knowing it was best not to bother Soph. They worked on her inflicting powers and got to work on her telepathic powers as well.

"Okay, you are now going to learn how to detect people without actually being in the room." Soph announced. Sophie frowned.

"I already know how to do that." She said. Soph rolled her eyes.

"You only know the first level of it. For example, this time, you are going to learn how to detect how many people are in surrounding rooms. So in a more realistic scenario, when the time comes and your sneaking into the lab where the Ailementice is being tested on, you can round up against the wall and instead of looking over the corner, you can just use your telepathic skills to help you see who's coming toward you and who's looking in your direction and who's not looking. It would make it easier to sneak around." Soph explained. Sophie nodded, understanding Soph's logic.

"Okay, how do I do that then?" Sophie asked. Soph slumped up against a tree.

"You can start by trying to determine how many bugs are in that bush over there." Soph pointed to a bush a few meters away. Sophie's frown deepened. Her eyebrows scrunched up together as she gave Soph a confused look.

"What? How do you expect me to do that?" Sophie asked again. Soph sighed.

"How do you normally detect a person through telepathy? You sense their minds. And you have that special skill that allows you to sense the animal's mind too. So do it like you normally do. Duh." Soph said, impatiently. Sophie sent Soph an annoyed look.

"Why are you being so rude? What have I done wrong? I'm trying my best okay? And it's not you being grumpy will help me improve! I'm already trying to save the world and if I don't understand something then you're supposed to teach it to me properly! And that won't happen if you're being such a pathetic, moping, grumpy jerk!" Sophie criticized. Her voice started to rise with each sentence.

"Not to mention you don't tell me a single thing about the future! How am I supposed to know what the heck is going on and how serious things are if you don't tell me anything?!" Sophie yelled. She paused, catching her breath from yelling so loudly. Soph, who was currently just leaning against the tree and listening to Sophie's rant, stood quietly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, then exhaled it. Soph sat down against the tree, her eyes still closed.

"Okay, Sophie." Soph said, her voice soft. "I know I've been in a bad mood. Pushed you hard without any explanations. And might have put a dent in yours and Keefe's relationship (because of the kiss…) and I'm really sorry about that. It's just, things have been really rough in my life. The future is getting worse and worse. There's only little time left until—" Soph suddenly stopped and opened her eyes. Sophie waited for her to continue.

"Until what?" Sophie pressed. Soph looked up at the sky. Her eyes seemed a little wet.

"Remember when I told you Grady was the first victim?" She asked. Sophie nodded, feeling like something was stuck in her throat. Sophie didn't want to think about that. She mentally told her mind to block it out of her train of thoughts but now that it was brought up again, she could feel the tears threatening to fall again.

"I might have made it sound like he was dead. But he isn't yet." Soph said. She paused again.

"There are four stages to the sickness. In the first stage, the symptoms are similar to a normal cold. You know, the usual. Coughing, stuffy nose, fever. The second stage is when things start to go downhill. The victim would become very tired, feeling fatigue all the time, not eating properly since they aren't hungry, it's more like their starving themselves. They start to become a bit delirious too. But the third stage is horrible. Throwing up is normal but they also become extremely delirious. When you normally have nightmares, it's when you're sleeping. In the third stage, being awake is their nightmare but when they're asleep, it's no better. They feel extreme pain in their sleep and no serum can help it. And the fourth stage… it's like they're dead. They no longer scream but they're practically paralyzed in bed. They barely can make sense of what they see and might have memory loss from time to time. They seem calmer but we know its only death eating away at them. By the time they're at the fourth stage, they'll be so sickly thin, it's like looking at a skeleton with skin on it." Soph explained, shuddering at whatever memory she was recalling. Soph paused and played with a rock in her hand before skipping it in the lake. She then turned to Sophie with a sad, depressed and weary look.

"Sophie," Soph's voice cracked, tears forming. "Grady, he's on the fourth stage. He doesn't have much time left." Sophie felt her heart break. The news was barely bearable but the way Soph seemed to break down made it more real. Soph was always so strong, never letting anything take her down. She seemed fierce but maybe it was just a facade. Like how Keefe always tried to crack a joke in devastating time to cheer everyone else up. It was the same with Soph. Acting strong so that others can be strong too. Making everything seem fine so others wouldn't worry. Sophie knew that all too well. Since of course Soph was still herself, despite seeming like a separate person. And her future self might not be all that different from her. Sophie had always tried to take things by herself and stay strong for the sake of others. But she knew, deep down, it killed her to do that. And now, she saw Soph sobbing next to her. Crying her heart out. Grady was like a dad to Sophie. No, he _is_ her dad. She could never imagine Grady dying, disappearing from the world forever. Sophie felt her own eyes tear up again. And this time, the tear did fall. The two of them sobbed together, crying about the cruel fate that was placed upon Grady.

"I don't want to lose another person I loved! I've already lost so much! I—I lost everyone! Why— why did something like this happen?!" Soph cried. Sophie put her arms around Soph, who was shaking violently with sobs.

"I'm going to save the world for us." Sophie whispered quietly, her tears silently falling. "I'll save you. I'll save Grady. I'll save everyone who suffered." Sophie gazed at the sky and closed her eyes, praying that maybe fate would be kind enough to ensure Sophie's success. She had to save the world.

After they cried all their tears out, Soph slowly stood up. She looked at Sophie's shirt which was now wet with tears and snot.

"Sorry about that." Soph apologized quietly. Sophie shook her head and glanced at Soph's shirt which was in the same condition as hers.

"No need. I guess both of our shirts are evenly winkled up." Sophie joked. The corner of Soph's mouth turned into a small smile. She took a deep breath, then looked Sophie in the eye.

"Sophie, what do you say about coming with me to visit Grady five years into the future?"


	7. Chapter 7

**PLEASE READ, VERY IMPORTANT: Since school is starting soon and things are going to get really busy, I won't be updating Future Self as often as I do. You should probably expect a chapter every week, most likely one on every weekend. Though if I have less homework on a school night, I might post a chapter on a week day. But mostly every weekend. But I do hope for you guys to still continue and read! And hopefully not lose interest! :)**

 **ALSO IMPORTANT: This fanfic is somewhat both Sophitz and Keefster. If you continue to read, you'll get what I mean by this. Since I, myself, is stuck between who I like better, I tried to make my story ending satisfying for both Keefster and Sophitz fans.**

 **Thank you DemigodShadowhunterTrubute for following and favouriting! It made me extremely happy when you did! I hope you'll enjoy this story!**

 **To thesuperawesomebookworm: Wow… you really read into my story! I'm glad! But yeah I need to make it clearer. So the thing is, Sophie (well actually Soph) found it by accident when she was collecting a few elements for class. And she didn't exactly know how she collected it. And you can't prevent something that you don't know how you did it in the first place. Like remember when Sophie collected Elementine? She did it by accident remember? It's not like she tried to collect an uncharted star. So it's like the same for Ailementice. I hope that clears everything up! And thanks for pointing that out! It was my mistake for not making it clear so I'll fit the explanation in the chapter somehow so other readers won't be confused by that! Thanks again! Btw love your reviews! (^3^) that's an attempted kissy/ hug face for the cookies! I'll break the cookie in half so we can share! (:) half for me… half for you (:)!**

 **To Keeper: I can assure you it is! Like I said before, it's both Sophitz and Keefster! But I think you'll be pretty happy with how I planned out the relationships! ;)**

 **To Selena202021: Hehe you're making me blush! I hope you find this chapter perfectly interesting to keep you on edge! It's my job to make you feel that way!**

 **To ForeverFreefall: Guess you'll just have to find out what really is going on in the future by reading this chapter!**

 **To copicrazeunwoltxnaa: can I just call you copic next time? But anyways, thanks for the review! And you won't just be crying about Grady and Keefe…. Well not tht I'm trying to make this story depressing… well actually yeah I am. It makes it more interesting that way doesn't it? ;)**

Chapter 7- Sophie's POV

She couldn't believe her eyes when she arrived. The Elvin world she came from was filled with life and color. The sky that was usually a clear blue was now clouded with a heavy gray fog. The air was thick and the grass was no longer fresh, healthy, soft or green. Instead a rough patch of dirt and yellow weeds took its place. In a distance Sophie could make out a dark light coming from a large black flame that outlined the horizon line. Even though she was sure it was still day, the sun's existence was nowhere to be seen. No small creatures wandered and all the surrounding trees seemed burned and dead. Sophie scanned the future world with disbelief and shock. She couldn't believe that this was the future.

Soph gazed out towards the wild black fires with a hard look and cold eyes. Sophie could almost feel the anger and hatred venting off of her. But there was something else mixed in her emotions. Something Sophie recognized but couldn't place a name on. It was more than sadness and gone far beyond being angry with the world. It seemed to consume Soph as the dark flames reflected off her blazing eyes. Soph spun around on her heels quickly and marched forward. Sophie picked up her pace to catch up. She let out a cough as she breathed in the toxic air. Soph glanced back at her with a cautious look.

"Cover your mouth and nose. Try not to breathe in too much. I don't have protective gear on me and I can't teleport any closer to our house." Soph commanded. Sophie nodded and did as she was told. She plugged her nose and kept her mouth shut as she followed Soph. Their walk felt like forever and Sophie felt suffocated as she held her breath. She knew she was going to break soon and prayed for them to get there faster. Fortunately, she still had some luck since they stopped right in front of a door soon after she thought that. As Sophie looked up at the house, she nearly gagged and choked on her sharp gasp. She quickly covered her mouth again, hoping she didn't breath in a lot of toxins. But as she looked up at the broken down house, she felt a throbbing pain in her heart. The home she thought as beautiful, was now worn out and half burnt. The windows were dirty and cracked. The porch she stood on at the moment had holes in the wooden panel and the house paint was crumbling off. Some of the roof panels were missing and the whole place just seemed to look like an old abandoned shelter for the homeless. Sophie shuddered as she entered the house, standing close to Soph. She walked through her house, but it was barely recognizable. Things were packed up, cover in dust. Boxes were half opened with junk piling up. The furniture was pushed in a corner of the room. Cobwebs and cracks in the walls were everywhere. The wallpaper was curling up at the edges, ripping apart. Sophie looked around the room with shock. The cozy and lively home she remembered from her time seemed completely tarnished. This wasn't her home. It couldn't be.

Sophie gulped down the lump building in her throat. She followed Soph through the thick air and deeper into the broken house. She could hear the floor boards creak underneath her, threatening to snap any second. As they headed up the stairs, which was in much better condition than the first floor, Sophie could start to recognize the rooms. They were walking right into Edaline's and Grady's room. As they entered, Sophie could make out three people in the room other than her, Soph, and Grady. Sophie glanced around the faces. She saw two men standing close to the window and a woman sitting on the bed, holding Grady's hand. Sophie instantly recognized the woman to be Edaline. Except it seemed she has aged fifty years instead of just five. She then examined the two men standing. The two of them seem familiarly similar. The one standing on the right seemed to be Alden, except his brown hair was accompanied with white streaks. His face has also aged a lot more but his eyes seemed to have stayed the same beautiful teal color. Next to him, the other man appeared to be younger by many years, he seemed to be in his twenties, and definitely looked very very familiar. A face she saw every day. In fact, he was like a younger version of Alden but as she had to admit, was much hotter. Then instantly her mind rang a bell. It was Fitz!

Sophie let out a surprised gasp. With that, everybody in the room looked up at her. She shrunk beside Soph, feeling out of place. Soph rolled her eyes and pushed Sophie forward to the center of the room. All eyes were on her and she kept her eyes glued on the ground. She fidgeted with her hands.

"Um… hi?" Sophie said uncertainly. At first, no one spoke a word. But soon the silence was filled with laughter. Sophie's eyes snapped up to see future Fitz standing in front of her now. He held out his hand and gave her a warm smile. Sophie, still hesitant, lifted her hand into his big hands. She gasped as he pulled her forward in a bear hug and ruffled her hair. She yelped with alarm before struggling to escape his strong hold.

"What are you doing?!" She asked, surprised. He burst out laughing again before gazing at her with loving eyes.

"You're cuter than I remembered." He said with a smirk. Sophie gaped at him. Was he serious? He did not seem like the Fitz she knew at all. He was way to carefree to be the uptight Fitz she knew. She eyed him suspiciously before glancing at an amused Soph.

"Do I know him?" She asked incredulously, jabbing a finger at him. He put a hand to his heart and feigned hurt.

"That really hurt my feelings, Sophie!" He said. Sophie could only blink at him blankly. She really didn't know who he was anymore. Soph rolled her eyes and nudged him in the side.

"You're not cut out for acting you know." Soph giggled. She pecked his lips with hers and pulled away with a slight blush across her face. Her hands slipped in his as they shared a smile. Sophie couldn't wrap her mind on what she just witnessed. Her jaw dropped to the ground and all she could do was point at them with a trembling hand.

"S— Soph! What the heck was that?!" Sophie stared in horror. Fitz gave Soph a funny look and she sighed and shrugged.

"What?" Soph asked. "He's my boyfriend. Is there something wrong with that?" A dangerous expression flashed across Soph's face, directed towards Sophie. It passed too quickly for the others to notice but Sophie got the chills. Soph's eyes were gleaming at her and she knew it was a warning to not mention the kiss with Keefe. Which Sophie was still clueless about why Soph did it. Especially since Fitz was already her boyfriend. But wait… the Fitz right now was ignoring her but she didn't forget the memory of them almost kissing. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable as her mind juggled the thought of Fitz being her future lover. Sophie averted her gaze, suddenly very frightened, and let out a small nervous laugh.

"N—No. Of course not!" She stammered. She saw Alden chuckle, trying to cover up his laugh. He came over to her and smiled.

"Hello Sophie, do you recognize me?" He asked. Sophie bobbed her head up and down.

"Yeah! You're Alden!" She answered. She gave a smile of her own. "You almost look the same!" He laughed at this and patted her head. Behind him, Edaline made her way to join the reunion. She gazed at Sophie, her eyes full of sadness. There was no light in her eyes anymore. She was not the same Edaline in her time. Edaline cupped Sophie's face with her old, shaking hands. Edaline looked so fragile at the moment, it teared Sophie's heart apart.

"I would say 'Welcome home' but," She sighed. "It's not much of one anymore, is it?" She gave a forced smile. One filled with grief. Sophie frowned and reached up to touch Edaline's bony hand. She couldn't imagine the pain Edaline had to go through. Losing Jolie and now her husband. Not to mention, Soph didn't spend time in the future as often either, leaving Edaline completely on her own. Sophie felt her eyes burn as she tried to hold the tears in. She took Edaline's hand and squeezed it slightly. Edaline's looked surprised for a moment but then her facial expressions soften.

"Can I see him?" Sophie asked quietly. Edaline paused before moving out of the way. Sophie approached the bed and saw Grady's face contorted in pain and agony. Her heart almost shattered as she looked upon his limp body. His face was paled and his hair was thin. His eyes sulked in and he did look like skin and bones, just as Soph said. The once, strong and alive Grady was now bedridden, looking very cadaverous and weak. Sophie sat next to him and nearly teared up at seeing him so broken.

"Grady?" She called out to him. She saw his eyes peel open, looking around the room to the find the source of the voice. When his eyes finally focused on her, she sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes looked so… empty. She clenched her teeth and squeezed her hands in a tight fist. She tried to calm her nerves before speaking again.

"It's Sophie. I came to see you." She spoked slowly. Grady closed his eyes again and for so long that Sophie was afraid he'd fallen asleep again. But a moment passed and he opened them again.

"Who's Sophie?" He spoke, his voice raspy and dry. Sophie sat there, stunned. Her nails dug into her skin as she willed herself not to weep. Soph did say a symptom was memory loss. Sophie took in a shaky breath before continuing.

"Sophie, your adoptive daughter. She came back from the past and she's going to save you." She told him. She couldn't dare see him like this again. She had to change the future. Sophie waited for Grady to respond but he only looked at her blankly.

"Sophie…?" He repeated slowly, as if trying to remember why it seemed so familiar. "My daughter?" Sophie nodded and mustered a smile.

"Yeah." She whispered softly. "And she loves you very much." She felt a hand on her back and looked up to see Edaline with wet eyes and a small smile. She and Sophie shared a knowing look. Sophie turned back to Grady as she heard him start mumbling.

"Will she visit me again?" He asked in his rough, weak voice. As if a string to her heart was being pulled, her eyes started filling with tears. She nodded and nodded but she knew that she might not have a chance to visit him when he was still alive. She abruptly stood up. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed to get out. She can't stand such a horrible future, looking at terrible fate. She mumbled a goodbye and rushed out the door. She heard voices calling out to her but she ignored them and shut herself in the one room she felt connected to.

She slumped up against the wall as she gazed around Jolie's room. She huddled in the corner and hugged her legs closer to her. All of Jolie's things were long gone. And the room was just like the rest, dirty and broken. Sophie could hear her tears drip on the ground. She buried her head in between her knees. The future, was too dreadful. Was it possible to save it? It seemed too depressing and real to be something that can be easily altered. Devastating thoughts filled her head. What if she screwed up? What if she couldn't change fate? One mistake and she's done. Sophie hit the ground with her fist. Why did she have to be caught up in this mess? All she ever wanted in her life was to be normal. Live a normal life. Be that girl who just had fun with her friends and her family. Worry about stupid things like boys and grades. Not this. Not worrying about saving the world from destruction. Sophie let out a frustrated scream as she slammed her hand against the floor again. A sob found its way up her throat and soon she was crying by herself, alone in such a plain room. She was so caught up in her grief that she didn't hear the door slip open and Soph plopping on the ground next to her.

"It's not over yet." Soph said out loud. She glanced at Sophie. "So don't act like we already lost." Sophie suppressed her sobs long enough to look at Soph. Soph kept her vision fixed and continued to look straight ahead with overwhelming determination.

"It was my fault in the first place." She said so quietly that at first Sophie thought she imagined it. She looked up at Soph again to see her determined expression replaced with a painful and guilty one. "I was the one who collected the essence in the first place." Sophie sniffled and glanced at the ground.

"Then why train me to steal it back when we can just not collect it in the first place?" Sophie asked, confused. Soph let out a tired sigh.

"Because I don't know how I collected it. It was during class and I don't remember which one since I didn't think it was different from the other times. I followed the directions like normal but then one time I suddenly collected it and I turned it in to Sir Conley at the end of class like usual. It looked similar to another element so I didn't pay much attention, meaning I don't know which one I collected was Ailementice. I just know that a few days later, I was called to the office and was asked about the element. When I didn't know, they decided to test it and that's when everything went bad." Soph explained. "You can't prevent something if you don't know how you did it in the first place." Soph sighed angrily. She clenched her hands and gritted her teeth.

 **(Thanks to thesuperawesomebookworm for bringing this to my attention to explain this! Hope it clears some things up!)**

"It was all my fault." She repeated with hatred in her eyes. Sophie finally figured out that the strong hatred Soph had was towards herself. "Which is why, you need to fix what I did before you also make the same mistake." She looked down at the ground and drew a circle with her fingers. "It's the only way I can redeem myself." Her voice cracked. "I try hard not to think about what I have done. But it's kind of impossible. The only thing keeping me from breaking apart and falling into guilt is you, Sophie. You're my only hope." Soph choked up. Sophie listened silently and rested her hand on Soph's clenched hand. Sophie looked outside the dusty window.

"You believe in me, so doesn't that mean you also believe in yourself? I trust that we can get through this. Together. Soph, don't blame yourself. Don't ever hate yourself. Because you're right. We haven't lost it all yet. I'm going to make sure it never happens. And I know you can trust my word on that." Sophie said with confidence. Then she stood up, feeling motivated again. She held out her hand for Soph, who accepted it. They stood, smiling at each other with a new feeling, with a stronger bond, and with trust. Sophie put out her hand and curled it up in a fist. Soph grinned and did the same. Their fists pumped together and they giggled.

"I have to go check up someone so you can do whatever for now. If you want to go outside, put this on." Soph handed Sophie a mask. Sophie glanced at it before giving Soph a clueless look. Soph smirked. "There's a place you want to visit, right?" Sophie paused. If she thought about it, she actually did have a place in mind. She nodded and thanked Soph.

"Yeah I know myself too well." She said with a laugh. "Anyways I'll meet you later. If you need me, call my name in your head. I can hear it anywhere." Sophie nodded again and they parted way. Sophie took a deep breath in as she braced herself. She wanted to check something and there was that one place she had to go. She ran outside and tried to find a way to leave. She didn't know if teleporting would work since it was five years into the future and the place she envisioned might have changed a lot in that time span. But she didn't think light leaping would work with her pathfinder. It was the future, who knows what changed, other than the whole apocalypse thing. She sighed. What to do now? Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder which made her jump. She glanced behind her to find Alden holding something out.

"Here, use this to light leap." He said, giving a warm smile. She thanked him and looked at the small device in her hands. It looked a lot like the older pathfinder but seemed upgraded somehow. She shrugged and held it out in the air. Hopefully it worked the same way. Which she found out it did since the next second, she was whisked away by the light and appeared at her destination. She blinked and slipped the pathfinder in her pocket. She looked at all the trees around her and sighed with relief. At least the Wanderlings weren't affected by the Ailementice fires. She looked up at the gold archway decorated with gorgeous white flowers. Her eyes skimmed through the words engraved on it, though she already knew it by heart.

 _Those Who Wander Are Not Lost_

Sophie felt her heart fall as she walked under it. There was only silence beside her soft footsteps. No one else was visiting, probably all too busy attending the sick. Sophie scanned the area and frowned as she noted that the number of trees increase. But then again, wasn't that to be expected? Still, it made her heart feel heavier as she continued down the familiar path. When she stopped walking, she found herself standing in front of her tree. The last time she saw it, it was still a small baby tree, still growing. Now, it was fully grown. It no longer looked scrawny as it once did. It stood tall and strong. The yellow, star-shaped leaves stood out against the brown bean pods. It looked more vibrant than she remembered. She fingered the pale bark as she breathed out. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on it. The day she does pass away, she hopes that it will be in a much better future than this. After, admiring her tree she moved on to Dex's and Alden's. She let a small sad smile find her lips as she recalled the devastating times. Now, she's been in far worse than that.

She decided to walk down in the new row of Wanderling trees. She counted how many she passed and was quite depressed after counting more than a hundred. This many elves shouldn't have died in only a time span of five years. As she reached the end of the row, she noticed one tree that stood out in particular. She walked up to it. It stood straight as if it was proud. But the way the leaves hid the branches underneath it made it feel like it was hiding behind itself. Sophie didn't know why it made her feel that way, but even though it stood out and seemed to shine, there was a sad feeling emitted by it. The leaves were a bright yellow and the tip seemed like it was dipped in a light blue paint. Sophie frowned. Why did it seem so familiar to her? She looked down to try to find the name. Her heart nearly froze as she read the name. She shook her head in shock. She stumbled away as the world seem to tip back. She felt terror seize her as she covered her mouth. Her vision started to blur as tears formed.

"No." She breathed out. "It can't be." She shook her head, not willing to believe.

"So you found it." She heard a voice call out. She spun around to find Soph standing there with the most sorrow expression on her face.

"No…" Sophie cried in a stunned whisper. Soph looked on with a pained expression, her face gloomed.

"Yes. Keefe Sencen is dead."

 **So congrats to all of those who guessed it right! Hope you like my twist! There's still more coming so be prepared! Btw, I know this chapter probs wasn't my best ever but I hope it was still good enough! Till next time ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hiya guys! As promised, here's the update for this week! Thanks to everyone for being so patient! Also I didn't have the time to revise this chapter but hopefully it's still good! Enjoy!**

 **To Xylia Neo: Well Keefe had to die so it added more spice. Plus the future is supposed to be super terrible so that it Sophie can save it! Technically the whole point of my story, haha. But yeah, about the people dying before Grady even though he was the first victim, I was actually explaining that in this chapter. Soph will tell Sophie after the shock of Keefe dying. So read and find out! But yeah just a heads up, most of the time, I usually leave clues like the ones about Keefe dying, in the story or when something happens, there is usually a back story or explanation in later stories but asking questions is always fine! Thanks for reviewing! :)**

 **To Keeper: yeah I know, I'm evil. But it had to happen, there are reasons. I have one special chapter later where you'll see how everything happened! So stay tune because you'll probs like the ending!**

 **To Selena202021: Nah I'd love to answer! It's a good question and I should be glad that you pay a lot of attention to the details in my story. Most details are clues to later events too! ;) But yeah, your question. Okay so I made Sophie believe to see that they have aged even when they aren't supposed to because it really shows how the future has put a strain on everyone. Like sometimes people look older bc of always being in grief, like how I explained how future Edaline looked. Also, you know how sometimes you can grow white hair because you're really stress and working hard? It's kind of like that too. Like Alden, he was explained to have streaks of white hair and it's because of stress and grief than actually turning old. Hope you get it know! And thanks for always reviewing!**

 **To ForeverFreeFall: he he you're really sharp on things! You got that right! It's gonna be mentioned in later chapters but I see that you already got it! And I love you enthusiasm for this story! Tbh reading your reviews always make me laugh!**

 **To thesuperawesomebookworm: AHAHAHA your review seriously made me lol so hard! And because it was so funny, I reread it and laughed all over again! And yay! Glad it cleared it up! And btw you're an amazingly talented writer too! That's why I looovvveeee your stories! Right when I see that you update them I'm like ahhhh yasssss! Oh yeah, baked more cookies too, so you can have the joy of virtual goodness lol. (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)**

 **To Copic: haha it's kind of like calling you by a nickname! But yeah, I had to do it. I feel like I just murdered him off but I guess I kind of did… but don't get me wrong! I LOVE KEEFE! But I just had to kill him off for the sake of my story! And the way Future Fitz and how everyone else acts is a bit different which will be explained in later chapters but glad you like the twist in his personality!**

 **To Guest(s): OMG I AM SO SORRY! LAST CHAPTER I FORGOT TO REPLY TO YOU GUYS AND I REALIZED JUST AFTER I POSTED THE CHAPTER SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT! I REALLY DO LOVE YOU GUYS AND THANK THE ONES WHO REVIEW! And to the guest who had that really weird crying face, I can totally see it! Hahaha I never seen someone do it that way but its cute!**

Chapter 8- Sophie's POV

For a moment, no one said a word. All Sophie could do was picture the Keefe from her time, his dazzling smile lighting up his face, making him appear so cute and attracting. And even though some of his jokes were annoying, she actually loved to hear them since they always made her laugh. Sophie knew she really loved Keefe and couldn't bear to see him gone, not able to move or speak ever again.

Sophie's eyes welled up with fat tears that streamed down her face like rivers. She crouched down, feeling all the strength leaving her legs as she received the news of Keefe being dead. She covered her face and wept, distantly feeling Soph rubbing her back to comfort her. When she finally looked up at Soph, she saw that she had been crying too. Sophie stared into Soph's eyes and saw so much sadness.

"You loved him before, didn't you?" Sophie asked suddenly. Soph froze at the question but recovered quickly.

"Yeah, I did." She replied, her voice in a quiet whisper. Soph breathed in and sat back. "But now, my heart belongs to Fitz. My heart always fluttered when I was with him anyways." Soph smiled at a memory Sophie couldn't see. Sophie laid down against Keefe's tree, wishing that she could feel the warmth of his hand again.

"If things were different in the future, if he didn't die, would you have stayed with him?" Sophie wondered out loud. Sophie shrugged.

"Who knows? Things… they'd probably be very different then. If this future didn't exist, I might have loved Keefe forever. But in this future, he's dead. Gone." Soph answered, the end of her sentence was hard. Sophie drew back and scanned at all the new trees, some of them were still little babies while others were full grown. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows as a thought came to her.

"How come so many people died before Grady? Even though he was the first victim?" Sophie asked. Soph followed Sophie's trail of sight and closed her eyes.

"Because most of them who died were either kids or Keefe's age. Their immune system just wasn't strong enough to fight off the sickness for a long time. Some adults who were also pretty weak died too. The sickness didn't come until a year later from the accident. By then, the fires had become widespread and we didn't know how to get rid of them. Grady was the first to experience the symptoms but shortly after him, many other elves got them too. Grady, though, he was strong willed and determine to fight it. He fought it… for four years. Sick in bed… suffering… for four straight years. Grady, was truly amazing. Most people died a year after or a few months after getting sick." Soph explained, opening her eyes. Sophie nodded and sat back in silence. Minutes passed with none of them speaking. Eventually Soph spoke, breaking the quietness.

"I want you to visit someone." She said out of the blue. Sophie looked at her in confusion and curiosity but nodded.

"Okay, who?" Sophie asked. Soph smiled sadly but stood up and stretched her hand out.

"To meet our best friend." She answered. Sophie took her hand and they were engulfed in a swirling empty void, taking them to whatever their destination was. A few seconds later, they appeared in front of a very familiar place. Sophie gasped as she recognized it.

"Slurps and Burps!" Sophie exclaimed. It looked almost the same as it did five years ago except that the sign was a bit tattered and the store seemed more crooked than before but she could instantly recognize it. Sophie started to smile. "Oh right! Dex and Kesler should be here now!" They walked in and the twenty vivid colors brought memories flooding in Sophie's brain. The colors definitely faded a bit but it still made her feel nostalgic. Standing behind the counter was Kesler. Sophie ran up to him, excited.

"Is Dex here?" She asked, practically jumping up and down. She knew the Dex back home was currently upset with her but she really did miss her best friend a lot. She couldn't wait to see him. Kesler looked up at her. Sophie almost drew back as she noticed how old he looked now. He was just like the other Elvin adults. Looking older when they were supposed to stay young forever. He had a lot more gray hair and dark bags under his eyes. He looked very stressed out. Sophie glanced at Soph with a surprised look but faced Kesler again. He looked back and forth between Soph and Sophie and nodded.

"Ah right, you told me about going back to the past. I guess you actually did it." He said to Soph. She nodded and mustered a small smile.

"Ah yes. I took her here to visit Dex… How has the rest of the Dizznees been?" She asked politely, clearing her throat. Sophie frowned. Why was Soph talking so formally and cautious? It was the Dizznees. They're fun and lovable, a bit awkward, but her best friend's family. Kesler nodded, blankly looking at them.

"They're just fine. Nobody else has gotten sick but we're worried about Rex and Lex. The sickness usually seems to get kids more often than adults." He said with a big sigh, seeming troubled. Soph nodded and put her hand on her heart. Sophie's frowned deepened. Did one of the Dizznees get sick? Who? Sophie waited impatiently as her curiousity was eating her up.

"Yeah, but you should be careful as well. Care about your own health or you could catch it too. You wouldn't want to leave your wife and the rest of your kids alone. I'm sure Bex would have want you to take better care of yourself if she was here." Soph said. Kesler tensed at that and stiffly nodded. Sophie almost recoiled in shock. Was Bex one of the victims? One of the hundreds of new trees planted in the Wanderling Woods? Sophie felt grief for all the poor victims. Bex and all the other kids, she just knew they were too young to die. In fact, no elves should have to suffer such a thing like death. Sophie wish she could morn for all of them and plant them flowers but she was actually here to prevent this future from ever happening.

"Yes you watch out too. You're still young." Kesler added. Soph nodded and cocked her head. Her face expression soften as she spoke her next words.

"How's Dex? Is he still sleeping?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. Kesler frowned.

"Yeah, it's still the same. No progress." Kesler sighed. Man, Sophie has never seen him so depressing before. She started to get worried. What exactly happened to the Dizznees? She looked at Soph with concern and worry. Did something bad happen to Dex too? Is he sick as well? Sophie's heart started to pound as horrible visions filled her head of Dex's tree will actually be the last part of him that's still living. She stiffened as Soph glanced at her.

"Don't worry he's not sick…" Soph said, her words hesitant. Sophie frowned. Then what exactly did they mean by no progress? And the rest of their conversation? She was drowned with questions as she waited for Soph to finish the conversation. After they said their goodbyes, Soph led her back into Dex's workshop. It was nothing like how she remembered it. Instead of it being messy with gadgets and parts everywhere, it was neat and most of the junk was gone. In the corner was a single bed and on it was Dex, sleeping peacefully. Soph walked up to him and grabbed a stool to sit on. Sophie awkwardly hung back, unsure of what to do. In fact, she couldn't even fathom why Dex was still sleeping at this time. Sophie frowned as she watched Soph take his, her eyes becoming misty.

"Hi Dex, Sophie from the past is here with me today to visit her best friend. It's such an important day, you should wake up, you dope." Soph lightly shook him. Her voice cracked and her lips quivered. She saw him, unmoving and sighed. She turned to a confused Sophie.

"As you probably heard, Bex died a year ago by the sickness. And Dex… he's in a coma. Has been for five years, ever since that explosion at the lab when they were trying to experiment with the element. Dex, he was unlucky. He was near the sight and got caught in the explosion. But he was far enough to have not died like the rest of them. Instead, he hasn't woken up since. Though he was lucky enough to have not catch the sickness." Soph explained. She fingered Dex's hand as she held it in her lap. "I never got to say sorry to him." She whispered. Sophie quirked an eyebrow up as she looked at the depressed Soph. The air turned heavy and Sophie, herself, couldn't even bare to look at her best friend. Being in a coma is practically like being dead. She honestly didn't know which was better if he's never going to wake up.

"Dex and I, we got into a stupid fight almost right before the accident. And I never got to apologize for being such a jerk. And I doubt I ever can now. It's been five years and he's shown no signs of waking up. Elwin, he's pretty busy these days from trying to come up with a cure and help the sick, but he told us that it was unlikely that Dex would ever wake up." Soph said sadly, her eyes turning misty. "But either way, I come visit him often and tell him things. I don't even know if he can hear my voice but it helps to think he does. I just pray that he'd wake up someday." Soph sniffed and the tears slowly streamed down her cheeks. She smiled at Dex with so much love, it made Sophie think back to her and the Dex in her time. Now that she had the proper time to think about it, Sophie really did want her best friend back by her side again. When she goes back, she'll apologize to Dex and fix everything. She did not want Dex to become a rag doll, sleeping for all eternally. It was a depressing and horrid thought that she couldn't even fathom it. She went up to future Dex and stared at him sleeping face. She poked him where his dimples are and frowned.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. You're not the kind to be woken up by a kiss." Sophie whispered. "So wake up on your own will. You're strong Dex. So wake up again." Soph gripped his hand harder as Sophie spoke these words. The two of them sat together by his side, praying for him to open his eyes. But of course it didn't work. Soph sighed.

"Come on, Sophie. It's always been like this. Today isn't anything special. Let's—" The door was thrown open and an out-of-breath Fitz charged in the room. His face was pale and his expression was solemn. He stared into Soph's eyes.

"What is it?" Soph asked, alert. She and Sophie could already sense that something was wrong and that he was about to deliver really bad news. Future Fitz tried to catch his breath as faced them, his eyes serious.

"Grady… tonight… not going to make it." Fitz hurriedly attempted to say. But they got the message. Soph and Sophie ran out the room with Fitz and were whisked away into the black void that took them to their loved one's death bed.

* * *

As they walked in his room, all heads turned towards them. Edaline was weeping on the ground as Della sat down next to her, rubbing her on the back. Alden had a sad expression on but stood away in the corner. Standing beside Alden was a very beautiful girl with the same brown hair and teal eyes as him. It was Biana. She grew even prettier, of course, and seemed healthy, which made Sophie feel a bit more relived. Sophie saw Elwin sitting next to Grady with a brief case filled with medical tools she didn't recognize. He looked up at her and Soph who were approaching and gave them a slight nod. He moved away and pat them on the shoulder.

Sophie stayed by his side, unmoving. She knew his time was nearly up. She was sitting on a stool next to the bed and her elbows rested on the blankets that laid neatly over Grady. He was in just as bad condition as he was on her last visit. His eyes were clouded, looking at somewhere beyond the ceiling. Sophie lifted his shaking hand in her hands, holding it up to her face. She mustered a smile, knowing that if Grady could see her, he would want to see her smile to the end. Her eyes never left his peaceful face. She could feel her eyes burn with hot tears as she gazed up at the ceiling briefly, urging herself to not cry. She took in a shaky breath. His pulse slowed. She knew his life was coming to an end soon. She held his hand closer to her face and squeezed it slightly.

"Grady, no, dad. I'll tell you a story… A story about you and your daughter who you took in. I'll tell you your memories. So that even if you can't remember them, I'll remember them for you." Sophie whispered with all her love pouring in those words. She glanced around the faces in the room. She gave a small smile as she sniffled.

"You know, you are loved by so many people. All of them are here in this room. Together with you. So you'll never be alone, no matter where." Sophie closed her eyes and paused.

"Your wife, Edaline, your friends Elwin, Alden and Della. Iggy, our lovable little imp." She said this with a laugh mixed with a sob. "And Fitz and of course your daughters, Sophie… and Jolie, who is in all our hearts as well." Soph felt the first tear fall down her cheeks. And soon the came down like rivers, flowing out of her eyes. "We're all with you. And now, I'll tell you, the story of a great man named Grady and his daughter Sophie."

"Grady, he was a kind hearted man, who always stayed strong no matter what came his way. A man who helped poor creatures find a new and safe environment to live. He saved them as well as many others. A man, who cared greatly for his wife and protected his daughter Sophie." Sophie paused, looking into Grady's blank eyes. A small, sad smile lifted in the corner of her mouth as she recalled the fun times they had.

"Remember? That man, Grady, was you. The time I was kidnapped, you must have been devastated. Being put through all that pain. I'm sorry. But the relief that you must of felt to see my face again? We were happy. The time you came to visit me after exams were done, and after meeting with the councilors that one time to discuss about me staying at Firefox Academy, the way you congratulated me for passing. The times when we stood together, holding hands, sending our wishes to Jolie at her tree. The sadness we felt. The anger. Our happiness. When the councilors forced me to wear the ability restrictor helmet, how you defended me and tried to protect me. Thank you, Grady. Thank you for all those times together. For all the memories we had together." Sophie whispered quietly, a lump forming in her throat. She gripped his hand tighter as she hugged it against her heart.

"I promise you," Sophie said, her voice choked up and her face wet with tears. "That I will save those times forever. And I will save the future, so we can create more." Her eyes were trained on Grady's face, watching his unchanging expressions. She didn't know if he could even hear her, but she prayed he did.

"I love you, dad." All her heart was poured into those four words, as she willed for him to be with her forever. She looked down at the blankets, feeling her emotions surging. She felt the lightest squeeze in her hand. Sophie snapped her head up at Grady, her teary eyes widened. The smile she tried so hard to cover, broke. Her lips quivered.

"So you did hear me." Her wavering voice barely a whisper. In that moment, his hand fell limp and his heartbeat stopped. Her face burned as all her anguish, misery, and grief surfaced. A sob escaped her as she gripped the blanket and cried into Grady's chest. Then Edaline broke down crying as Della and Alden tried to comfort her while also morning. Soph buried herself into Fitz embrace, crying silently as Fitz hugged her tight. Biana stood by Soph's side now, crying along with her. All the while, Sophie wailed and begged for Grady to come back to her, but it was no use. He was already gone.

That night Grady Ruewen left the Elvin world and died. That same night, a piece of Sophie's heart was gone, and she was never the same.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for all the reviews! That chapter was pretty depressing but it'll get happier later… then sad again… but happy at the end! This chapter is like sadish but it will get better! Promise!**

 **IMPORTANT: SOOO SORRY! I KNOW I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN WEEKS AND IM TRULY SORRY FOR THAT! I HAVE BEEN UNBELIEVABLY BUSY AND I CAN'T UPDATE EVERY WEEKEND ANYMORE AND SO SORRY! Hopefully you guys will continue to read this though!**

 **Thanks missycat470 for following and favouriting!**

 **Thanks to RTHE04 for favouriting!**

 **To Springgirl: Im kind of confused on what you mean but if you mean why the future didn't change because she found out and visited the future is because since she didn't change the event from actually happening, that future is still possible… the whole from-the-future thing is a complicated process but thanks for reviewing! I don't think I get a lot from you so this is really nice! :)**

 **To FANofYOURstory: AWWWWW this means a lot to me! That's like really sweet! And I can't tell you how happy you made me when I read this review! And you're a new reviewer! That's also so amazing to hear from you! The update is finally here so I hope you enjoy this one too!**

 **To Keeper: Don't worry it will! Just keep reading and this chapter is still processing the shock of what Sophie is experiencing after seeing that future but eventually she'll become better and of course meaning the story will become happier too.**

 **To ForeverFreeFall: well it's my job to make people feel emotions when reading my story right? I hope this touches your heart! ;) but yeah it will get happier so don't worry! The same as what I told Keeper!**

 **To Selena202021: Of course I'll explain it! I guess it was kind of unclear since it was like an inferring thing. Lol. But I'm glad to hear it actually made you cry… well not in that way, but as in I'm really glad my writing touched you so much that you cried! So thanks so much! But yeah, this will definitely motivate Sophie, you'll see a few spots here and there in her thinking which changes her into becoming I guess more fierce and strong like Soph but not quite like Soph either… you'll see!**

 **To Guest: Ah I wish I knew who you were! Your review made me feel so proud of myself! I was aiming for making people feel depressed and cry but I didn't think I was that good of a writer to make people feel that way so thanks for your review! It really boosted my confidence in my writing! :)**

 **To RTHE04: Aw thx! I'm glad to have a new reviewer/ favourite!**

 **To BookButterfly11: Aw haha! That's actually really true! I do review and read ppls story a lot in the same community! And I'm really happy you decided to check out my story and review! Like that's really cool and your dream… I bet it didn't end very well so hopefully my ending will be interesting enough for you!**

 **If I missed anyone I'm truly sorry and pls tell me about it and I will definitely reply or give a shout out!**

Chapter 9- Sophie's POV

A few days past since the time Sophie returned from her visit into the future. Still, it was fresh in her mind like it happened yesterday. When she got back, she sobbed uncontrollably and Soph didn't even mutter a word. They mourned all night. The next day, Sophie had puffy red eyes and she knew that her friends at school had noticed her horrible looks, though none of them tried to talk to her. Of course they didn't know what she had experienced and the new knowledge she was carrying that left her heart torn. She couldn't even look at any of them in their faces anymore. All she could think about was Dex in his coma, Keefe being dead, and Fitz acting crazy weird. Sophie didn't even get to associate with Future Biana. Now instead of just them ignoring her, she started avoiding them too. But she doubt they would notice since they were already avoiding her anyways. But in her case, she didn't even want to see their faces in the halls. And with her teleporting powers getting faster and easier, she started teleporting to her classes instead of walking, though it was a pain to find a lower place to jump every time. Even so, that was the least of her worries.

Her visit into the future has changed everything in her perspective. The way she addressed it before, not pushing herself enough, just taking her time in la la land, was enough to make her want to punch a wall down. She knew that a part of her must have not recognized the seriousness of the problem and she bet a part of her didn't grasp on the fact that the future Soph had explained would one day actually become reality. But the visit, how she saw it with her own eyes, it had become all too much. It was like a slap in her face, finally waking her up from her denial state and showing that things won't just be okay if she continued to do things of how they were. She needed to train more and more. She didn't have time for stupid things like school. However, she knew she'd get caught if she didn't attend her classes and that people will get suspicious. And if they happen to uncover her secret, she'd be in big trouble. It might cause the whole Elvin world to freak out and go into chaos.

Either way, it felt like the weight of the whole world was on her, which technically she guess it was. And with how fast the day that she would collect Ailementice was approaching, she felt pressured and stressed. A week already passed, and she only had seven more days. She swore that with all this stress on her, her blonde hair would turn white before her 15th birthday. She already found three strands of white hair. In fact, she just discovered right this moment. Sophie was leaning over the bathroom sinks while examining her hair. She had just arrived to Firefox academy and instantly ran to the bathroom. She could tell that she looked like a mess. But she had to see how bad she looked. And now, she stared at her reflection. She honestly looked like she was one of the sick ones too. She had lost a lot of weight. She barely eats anything anymore, too consumed by fear of failing her mission to build an appetite big enough to eat a snack. And training every day had assisted in her lost in weight. Though another con of training was that bruises and cuts were found all over her body, although she covered all the obvious ones up with her cloak and sleeves. But not only that, her eyes looked tired and weary, her skin lost its healthy color, and she just felt horrible. And she became alert of everything now, maybe even paranoid. Any movement of a single muscle in her body, she feared, would cause another person to die. Sophie knew exactly how Soph felt. It technically was her fault that the plague occurred in the first place, but Sophie tried really hard not to think about that. Guilt had almost took over her, but she can't let that happen again. That's right. She needed to get her act together. How did she expect to save the world when she was acting like a coward?

Sophie clenched her fist. She glared at the ugly girl in the mirror. She hated the unfamiliar unhealthy look of her face. Sophie couldn't even recognized herself in the mirror. She had become so weak and pathetic. She hated that girl in the mirror. She hated her.

 _So weak. Can't save anyone. Hate her. Hate her, hate her, hate her, hate her!_

Without realizing it, Sophie's fist somehow ended up colliding with the glass mirror, causing it to shatter all around her. She looked blankly at her bleeding hand. The glass had cut her pretty bad, but she didn't even feel the pain. All she felt was numbness. She could hear noises of people rushing into the bathroom. Obviously the crash was loud enough to catch peoples' attention. She heard the collective gasps around her as more people started to file into the bathroom, wondering what the commotion was about. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to find Elwin looking at her with a concerned face.

"Sophie, it's okay. Take a deep breath. Relax. Sophie, what happened? Can you tell me?" Elwin asked. Before she could answer, she heard a familiar voice call her name. In a trance, she looked over to see Biana standing together with Dex, Fitz, and Keefe, all of them watching her in alarm. Immediately, her anger bubbled and resurfaced. All she could remember was their terrible fate. They didn't deserve it. And it would be her fault completely if it does happen. She glared back at her broken reflection. She gritted her teeth and felt like lunging at it.

"She's still there!" Sophie screamed. Her eyes searched for anything to throw at it, but when she saw nothing, she decided that she would just tear it down. Her hands curled into a fist and she prepared to strike the mirror once again. But before she could land a blow, Elwin had retained her, stopping her from harming herself even more.

"Sophie, stop! Calm down! Calm down!" Elwin commanded with a harsh tone. But Sophie didn't care to take notice of him. She was out of control, consumed in anger at herself. Just as she was about to break away, a strong arm pulled her into a hug. She could feel the warmth of the other body and it immediately calmed her down. She looked up to see Keefe giving her a very worried expression.

"Sophie, what's wrong?" He asked in a soothing voice. She trembled in his embrace, her hands that were covered in blood, shook violently as she brought it up to her face. She stared at them in horror.

"It's eating me up." She whispered in fear.

"What is?" Keefe asked again, keeping his cool. She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word. She could only think about his death. And Grady's death. And flashes of the horrible experience she had. It traumatized her. She needed to get stronger but it was like the darkness was dragging her down. Down into guilt. Guilt that she was so weak and that it would be impossible to save everyone. Guilt that it was her fault that the whole thing will happen. It was scary. Unbelievably scary.

Sophie stared at her bloody hands, her eyes clouded. Keefe, noticing her trembling, gently held her fingers and wrapped his hand around hers, his warmth seeping in her fingers. Sophie shoulders relaxed a bit more and her eyes started to clear. The world was slowly coming back to her. She felt the support he was giving her, and the feeling that she wasn't alone in this mess, comforted her. She felt the tears prickle down her cheeks.

"Sophie…" Keefe whispered, looking into her eyes. "What happened?" She shook her head. It was rare to hear Keefe call her by her first name. It sounded good to hear him say her name, though she knew he used it only in really serious times. She finally grasped herself, fully returning in reality.

"I'm okay." She breathed out, her voice shaky. Keefe's lips became a stern line as his face was full of doubt and worry. But thankfully, he let it pass. He gazed down at her hands and winced.

"You need Elwin to help wrap them up. Does it hurt?" Keefe asked. At first, Sophie was about to say no but when she finally registered the injury in her hand. Now that she had finally noticed it, her hand was actually pretty painful. Sharp throbbing pain made Sophie want to scream. She nodded, clamping her mouth shut, afraid that she might just cry. Keefe led her out of the bathroom along with Elwin, the crowd parting for them. She stared at the ground, refusing to meet any of her friend's eyes. What she had done was so embarrassing. She completely lost herself. Another reason to be called a freak. When they were halfway to Elwin's office, Sophie snuck a glance at Keefe's face. She was so thankful for him being there to drag her out of her pit of darkness. She might have completely lost herself and injure herself even more. That would be bad. Very bad.

After Elwin wrapped her hands up, he and Keefe both sat there staring at her. They were eagerly waiting for an explanation and was not about to let her go otherwise. She bit her lip and pulled out a loose eyelash. She fumbled with her bandaged fingers. Keefe gave her a questioning look and she knew he meant by asking if it was because of the whole future thing. She almost forgot that she told him about it. She gave a slight nod but kept her mouth shut. Keefe, seeming to understand, closed his eyes with a bit of relief before opening them again.

"Don't ever do that again. No matter what the case is." Keefe ordered. Sophie quickly nodded her head. He exchanged a quick look with Elwin and Keefe whispered something into Elwin's ear. Elwin frowned but sighed and stood up. He gave Sophie a concerned look before waving them off.

"We will discuss this later. I have some… other business to attend." Elwin muttered before quickly leaving the room. Sophie frowned at his weird behavior and sent Keefe a look.

"What did you tell him?" She asked accusingly. Keefe smirked.

"Oh, just something that will keep him from asking you about the incident for today. Though we need to come up with a better excuse later." Keefe said. Sophie's frown deepened.

"What was the excuse you told him?" She asked, suddenly worried. Keefe waved her off with a hand.

"It's nothing important. But first, you need to explain something to me." Keefe said, his tone turning dead serious. He stared in her eyes, and she averted her gaze, feeling guilty again. Keefe, pulled her chin towards him, refusing to let her look away. Sophie closed her eyes and sighed, batting his hand away from her.

"Look Keefe, I'm a bit tired. I'll tell you later but I need to just… go somewhere," She said, then looked at him with a stern face. "Alone." Keefe opened his mouth to say something but Sophie quickly spun around. She paused at the doorway, her back still facing him.

"And Keefe… thanks, for being there for me." She whispered as she ran off.

She was scared. Of everything. But she had to be strong. For her friends and everyone. But she honestly needed a break. She need time alone to recollect herself. She knew if she went home, Grady and Edaline would fire questions at her and she would be cornered to answer them. Sophie just needed to get away from everything for a little bit. And when she gets herself together, she'll be more focused and prepared. But first, she'll take a visit to the forbidden cities, a place where no one can find her.


	10. Chapter 10

**SHOUT OUT FOR RTHE04 FOR FOLLOWING! THANKS A TON! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!**

 **Also BIG THANKS TO KEEFSTER FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVOURITING! WHEN I SAW MY NUMBERS CHANGE I WENT EEKKK EKKK AND WAS DANCING! XD**

 **Guest: Well yeah she's feeling pretty depressed but she's going to get better in this chapter and after… she was going thru a phase.**

 **RTHE04: OMG I LOVE YOU! Thanks again for following me too! And to answer your question, of course Sophie and her friends are on a rough patch but don't worry they will soon get better, you'll see how! And also, I can't say for sure when I will update but I have an exam coming up soon and so I really need to focus on that cuz I heard it was really hard and a ton of people failed it so im like wayyy scared… but I will try to update this story! I kind of made the last update wait a bit too long… so sorry for that! But I will definitely try not to leave you hanging! Thanks for asking btw! :)**

 **Keeper: I guess you can say this is a Keester fanfic but it will have some Sophitz action!**

 **Selena202021: Your reviews honestly are the most motivational things ever! I love getting them from you and the stories you tell me are so funny to hear! Haha if I cried in front of my mom if she walked in, she'd be like what the heck? Why are you crying? And then get like weirded out too! Lol! But of course I'd always reply to your reviews! Its helps me get to know my viewers better and its really fun too! And I told RTHE04 this too, but I honestly don't know when I'd update but I now after next week, I think things will get a bit less busier for me. I have this huge exam coming up and a lot of social events I have to attend so I'll try my best to get the update as soon as I can!**

 **LyraHeartstring: Haha you probs saw me review your story! I got curious so I went to read it and you're a really good follow writer! And I'm pretty sure this is the first time you reviewed for this so thanks so much! Hope to hear more from you and I hopefully will not make you "anxiously" wait too long! :)**

 **Ember: Yeah I guess you can say that. Sophie is in the sort of phrase were she's so stressed that she starts thinking very negatively. So she gets angry bc she think she's too weak since she can't fight against the stress which was breaking her down.**

 **BookButterfly11: Lol your reviews are so enthusiastic! I know that you're probs a Sophitz fan, based on your reviews, and I bet your gonna love this chapter! There's a Sophitz moment that I hope you'll enjoy! And yes… sadly Keefe had to die, I mean that's a good way to have Soph end up with Fitz in the future… well sigh. But anyways, thanks for the 'very big compliment'! I still have a hard time believing that people actually cried because of my writing. Sometimes I feel like they say that just cuz or like over exaggerate. Not that I'm saying you're doing that but it's just so unreal that my writing can actually move people like that so thanks so so so so soooooooo much for that compliment! You're absolutely lovely! :)**

 **Thesuperawesomebookworm: Lol "FEELING THE FEELS" cracked me up! Glad you liked my last chapter! Hope you'll feel the feels even stronger for this one!**

 **ForeverFreeFall: Omg I felt like I haven't heard from you in forever (no pun intended)! I'm soooo happy you reviewed! And thx for the many compliments! Oh and btw are you still continueing Firefox academy? I liked that fanfic a lot! :)**

 **Alexialouise: Aw thx! That's really sweet! You're a new reviewer and that was really AWESOME! I hope to hear more from you in the future!**

 **Keefster: Hmmm… its hard to tell how many chapters I have left cuz im following a really rough outline and then going off of it but still writing my story as I go along. And I can't tell you if its team Keefe or Fitz cuz honestly im rooting for both! Though, you'll find out.. maybe… who Sophie ends with later on. ;)**

 **Harper: I'M SOOOO HAPPY THAT I HAD YOU WEEPING AND LEANING FORWARD IN YOUR SEAT! Especially love how you couldn't stop reading! I hope this chapter will do the same!**

 **If I forgot someone or mixed something up plssss tell me that! I will definitely give you credit for whatever and just so you all know… LOVE YA GUYS!**

Chapter 10- Sophie's POV

Sophie appeared in front of the large elegant house. Her mouth fell open with awe. She knew she told the council to give her family a beautiful house but it amazed her on how they much they actually did. Sophie glanced around, checking to see if anyone followed her. But that was impossible. No one would even know she was there. She was completely alone now. Technically, she was breaking the Elvin code by being there anyways, so of course no one else would be doing the same. However, a passerby might think she was a weird stalker or something. Even though she made sure to secretly dig out her human clothes, sneaking in through the way Soph showed her. Still, she felt out of place. That feeling wasn't foreign.

Spotting a nearby tree, she hurriedly climbed in it. She perched up against the tree branch and peeked through the glass window to find her old human family sitting happily around the dinner table. She saw Natalie Freeman, previously known as Amy Foster, leaning down from her chair to secretly pass the piece of jerky to her dog. Unfortunately she got caught by Mrs. Freeman, who gave Natalie a teasing scolding. Sophie watched as her previous father reached out to tickle Natalie for a punishment and watched as the happy family giggled and laugh without a care in the world. Sophie let a small smile form on her lips, a single tear dripped from her glistening brown eyes. She felt a slight sting in her heart and was overwhelmed with a nostalgic feeling. It felt as if she was all alone in the world. Even though so many people around her, the world was slowly collapsing and only she could see it. She really missed the olden times back to when she was somewhat normal. She wanted more than anything to live a normal life. Not that it was ever possible.

With one last glance at her old family, she jumped down from the tree and quickly dashed out of the yard. Once she was a good distance away, she slowed her pace and resumed a steady walk. She lifted her head as the breeze tingled around her, making her soft hair fly all over the place. Hastily, she threw it in a loose braid and swung it over her shoulder. Her cold hands slipped into her jacket pockets and she breathed in the air around her. Closing her eyes, she pictured her old house and remembered all the fond memories she had there. When she reopened them, she knew exactly where her next stop was.

After finding a place to teleport, she appeared in front of her old house. She slowly, as if in a trance, walked up to the white fence and stared at it. Her shaky fingers rested upon the painted wood and fingered around it. Sophie wish she could go back, receive a hug from her old mom and dad. She loved Edaline and Grady a lot, but she'll never forget the ones who actually raised her. A sad feeling seeped its way into Sophie's heart. She felt the warm tears sliding down her cheeks. She stood there, weeping in silence. It wasn't until she heard a car coming from behind her, when she jerked away. She saw a silver car make its way into her old home's garage. The car door open and a small child and her parents got out. The little girl turned her head and saw Sophie looking. She tugged on her mom's coat sleeve and pointed at Sophie. Her mom met her gaze and offered a polite smile. They then headed inside and Sophie stalked away. When she was a block away, she sniffled and wiped away the tears with her jacket sleeve. Just as she decided it was time to go back home, she heard a voice calling to her.

"Sophie? Is that you?" A male voice questioned. Frozen, she held her breath. Her eyes widened as she heard footsteps and a person approaching.

 _No one should have remembered her._

Slowly, she turned, her heart racing. In front of her, she saw a surprised boy. He started to grin as he saw Sophie's familiar face. He walked closer and cocked his head to the side.

"It really is you." He said with a smile. Sophie's eyebrows furrowed at him. Did she know him? Sophie willed her mind to remember. Where was he from? As she searched her mind for the answer, she started to form a picture in her head. Suddenly, the light bulb struck her.

"Aidan!" She shouted out with familiarity. His eyes shone when she said his name.

"You remember!" He said, a genuine smile appeared on his face. She nodded and returned one of her own.

"Of course. We were classmates." She replied. He nodded and brushed a hand through his neat hair. He let out a shy sheepish grin.

"Honesty, I'm surprise you actually remember. We never really talked before." He let his voice trailed off and glanced away. Sophie frowned. Oh that's right, she thought. She used to be isolated and bullied. She hid a small smile. She totally forgot about that. But now she understood why he remembered her. The council probably thought he wasn't important enough to her so they didn't have to erase his memories. She snuck a quick peek at him. He was pretty cute, now that she thought about it. Not star striking like Fitz or Keefe, but cute in his own human way.

"I've always wanted to though." He continued, surprising Sophie. She gave him a confused look. A small blush appeared on his face.

"I never had the chance to talk to you and you seemed a bit intimidating," He paused to look into her eyes. "But I always thought you were cool." Sophie was left utterly dumbfounded at this. She gaped at him. She never knew anybody thought that way about her, that is, when she was still living normally. He noticed her staring with shock and quickly averted his gaze. He rubbed the back of his neck and stepped away.

"Sorry I probably shouldn't have said that…" He muttered. Sophie shook her head furiously and recomposed herself. She offered him a shy smile, feeling blush creep on her cheeks too.

"No, that actually made me really happy. No one's ever said anything like that to me" Sophie said. They stood awkwardly in silence and Sophie looked down, shifting her feet.

"You moved away right?" Aidan asked. She glanced up and fumbled with her hands.

"Yeah… something like that." She mumbled. He nodded

"What are you doing here then?" Sophie puffed out a breath of air.

"Hmmm… visiting, I guess." She answered hesitantly. He nodded again and shifted on his other foot.

"Oh cool, that's nice." He replied. Sophie pressed her lips into a thin line and tugged on the tail of her braid.

"Yeah…" They sulked back into the awkwardness and they both stared at the ground in front of them. Sophie let out a quiet sigh and looked up at Aidan.

"So, I better get going—" She was interrupted when she felt someone grab onto her arm and spun her around. A pair of hands secured themselves around her shoulders and forced her to face them. Shocked, she glanced up to see gorgeous teal eyes staring down at her.

"Fitz!" She stammered. Her heart paced as her head pounded.

 _What was he doing here? How did he find her?_

She faced his eyes and knew that he was very angry with her. She never saw him this upset besides the time when Alden's mind broke. Meaning… he was pissed. Very pissed.

"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!" He yelled. Sophie winced and stared in shock, too stunned to say anything.

"You can't just go wondering off somewhere and not tell anybody! Everybody has been worried about you and you just decide to run away and not tell anyone! What if something happened to you when you were gone? Want to get kidnapped again?! Sophie, news flash! You're not safe anywhere—" Fitz fumed.

"Woah wait—" Aidan spoke out. He looked utterly confused and seemed like a deer caught in headlights. Fitz ignored him and continued on.

"That's it. You're coming back home." Fitz ordered, his voice less loud but still stern. He glanced back at Aidan, finally acknowledging his presence.

"Sorry about this, but I'm going to have to steal Sophie from you." He said with absolute authority, dragging Sophie along. Sophie looked back at the dumbstruck Aidan and shot him an apologetic look. Once they were earshot away in a private area, Fitz pinned her against a building wall.

"What is going on?" Fitz asked, his voice harsh. "And don't say 'nothing' because this—" He held up her wrapped up hands. "—is not 'nothing'" They stared at each other in silence. Fitz was so close to her that she could feel his breath tickle against her nose. Looking into his teal eyes, she could tell that he was really worried about her. She also noticed how out-of-breath he was too. And that _never_ happens. She frowned. Has he been looking for her this whole entire time? She looked at him.

"How did you find me?" She asked, her voice quiet and cautious. Fitz blinked, taken back by what she asked. She saw the slightest smile on the corner of his mouth. His face soften as he closed his eyes.

"Remember? I was the first one who found you." He replied, opening his eyes again to look at her. "I found you in this city. I found you when you were fading after light leaping with Dex. I've always found you, Sophie. And I always will." Sophie's heart fluttered as he said this. A surge of emotions spread through her body and soon it became too overwhelming. It felt like she was alone in this world. But right now, she could feel Fitz with her. Together in the world she was in.

She clutched onto his shirt and brought her other hand to cover her eyes. She nodded, not trusting her voice. Her hand was shaking too much with emotion and she felt as if she couldn't keep a hold on him. She gripped his shirt harder. Fitz place his own hand on hers and she felt his warmth flow through her. She sniffled and finally felt calm. She felt warmth. She felt at peace. It was as if time stopped for just the two of them. She closed her eyes and let herself be swept away in his embrace. She could feel his heartbeat through the fabric of his shirt. She was surprised at how fast it was beating, even when he appeared to be so cool. She glanced up at him and found that his cheeks were flushed. For a moment, she was so entranced, she couldn't say anything. But soon, her eyes twinkled with amusement and she giggled. Fitz blushed even harder and avoided making eye contact.

"You're so cute." Sophie teased. Fitz's face contorted with horrid and turned bright red.

"S-shut up…. Don't call a boy cute." He stammered. Sophie was about to laugh again when she suddenly remembered why he avoided her in the first place. She rejected him. Sophie's gaze drifted to the ground. She knew now, that what she did was heartless and terrible. She hurt him really bad. But even so, he still came to find her. Sophie gritted her teeth. She really was an idiot. Always hurting people. She drew in a shaky breath when she turned her head towards Fitz's.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. She stepped out of his embrace and looked at her shoes.

"I didn't think about your feelings and I was such a jerk. I'm so sorry Fitz. I'm really sorry for making you feel bad. I—" Fitz closed the space between them and his lips touched hers. Time completely stopped. Sophie stood frozen. None of her muscles could move. Once their lips separated, Sophie immediately covered her mouth. She stared at him, shocked. She opened her mouth and tried to form words. But the only sound she could mutter was jumbled up words.

"Now we're even." He said.

 **So I guess you can call this a plot twist? Well to all you Sophitz and Keefster fans out there reading this… I hope I made your life harder. Cuz now it could be either Fitz or Keefe now! Enjoy!**

 **BTW not my best writing and so sorry for that but I at least wanted to give you guys an update.**


	11. Chapter 11

**SOOO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG… I HAD A ROUGH WEEK AND I AM HONESTLY DRAINED AND EXHAUSTED. BUTTTT… I DECIDED TO GIVE YOU GUYS AN UPDATE THIS WEEKEND NO MATTER WHAT… SOOOOO ENJOY!**

 **Thanks Obsidian11Rose for following and favouriting this story!**

 **To Guest #1: I'm really touched by your review! And for your question about being a writer, I have soooo much I would want to tell you, tho idk if you would want to listen to me ramble on so ill try to keep my rant to a minimum (not going to happen). So what it takes to be a writer… easy, you write. Honestly, I really don't think my writing is anything special and when I first tried this I was doubtful too. But there** ** _are_** **going to be people who like your writing. And this is a really nice community and getting haters seems rare to me, but if there are… NEVER LISTEN TO THEM. I mean I would get dejected if someone hated on me but there are people who are also supporting me so I rather think about them instead. Actually, tbh, I had a problem with my writing where I would have so many great ideas but never finish a single one and that was always bad, but putting up my writing on here motivated me enough to continue updating. And especially the reviewers and people following/ favouriting! I mean I'm sure everyone is really happy when they see comments about their writing and it really boost up your confidence, not bring it down. It's such a happy feeling, so I really think you should go out of your comfort zone and try this! Plus, no one will know who you are… unless you put up info which I suggest you not do… so technically, you can do whatever you please… kind of. Either way, I highly suggest you try it. I mean what harm will it do? If you don't like it anymore, then just delete, but who knows, you might end up loving it! Also…. Tell me if you do write one cuz I'll definitely read it! :) Sorry… in the end… I rambled. :p**

 **To Guest #2: That's great that you love Sophitz and this fanfic! I'll take your opinion to account! I kind of know who Sophie will end up with at the end of this but… it could change! So keep hoping I guess and read on! :)**

 **To Guest #3: I updated! Yay right! Lol :)**

 **To Keeper: hey wait… I totally never said it would be a Sophitz fanfic so Keefster is still a possibility. Just wanted to add some spice to this story! There will be tons of cute Keefster scenes so just you wait! ;)**

 **To Selena202021: Awwawawwwwwawawawaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww you are far most one of the sweetest reviewer! I cannot tell you how much I love to read your reviews. I mean literally, I squeal each time… yeesh kind of embarrassing to admit. And thx! I hope I ace it too! But yeah… I love people like you. I mean seriously, you are one of the reasons I keep writing and sometimes I get worried and think "what if I made them wait to long, I want to reply to their reviews right now" and things like that. I really will try to update whenever I can and hopefully it'll be every 2 weeks but I can't say for sure. But you are so lovable with your reviews! Thx so so so much! And lol feel my pain. At first, I was like idk who it should be and then some people almost convinced me Keefster was cuter but then others convinced me Sophitz so…. Oops. Being in-between means you can accept either one so whoever Shannon decides on, you'll be happy either way. It's a win win. ;)**

 **To LyriaHeartstrings: Oooo anime. I like anime too! I'm not a mega fan of it but I've seen some shows! I just love how the people are drawn cuz they look so cute! And just saying, I totally understand what it's like to pause in the middle of watching a really interesting part so I greatly appreciate you taking your time off of the anime. I mean if someone interrupted me when I'm in the middle of an episode I'd be like really grumpy. :)**

 **To ForeverFreeFall: Yay! I saw the update in the middle of doing my homework and I immediately stopped (even tho I knew I had a ton) and had to read your new chapter! And OMG no way! Did I really make your heart move with a Sophitz moment?! That is a great accomplishment! :)**

 **To Copic: Yay I get to use your nickname on here! And oh really? I never had a person's name disappear or anything but oh well! I must say tho… I do have a bit of evil in me… but that's okay! Evil adds excitement right? And making your life harder is my main goal! U know… so the story can be enjoyed more! ;)**

 **To Xylia Neo: Aw thx! I try hard to make this story amazing! Tho ur stories are even more amazing! :)**

 **To AFanGirl: Thx for reviewing for my other story and this one! So obviously you're a Sophitz fan, and either you're going to love this fanfic or hate it cuz as for right now, the ending to this fanfic is still undecided on whether it being Sophitz or Keefster. Butttttt you might find that some really cute moments in here!**

 **To ferntailwarriors: Omg that was sweet! The cookies were delicious btw ;). And well I can't really tell you what happens in the end cuz that's… SPOILING! And thank you! I'm really glad that u appreciate my writing and I already respect you a ton for that. I love how you find my stories "AWESOME" cuz I can honestly tell you how much this review was AWESOME! Hope you continue to read to find out the end! I warn you tho… tons of plot twists…. ;p**

 **Whew! That was a lot! I love replying to you guys! Totally makes me feel closer to all of you! And I just want to thank all the awesome people taking the time to read this so thx thx thx soooo much!**

Chapter 11- Sophie's POV

Fitz's hand fit perfectly with hers, filling her with comforting warmth. They walked side by side, leaning close to each other as if the other one might suddenly disappear. Sophie breathed out and watched as her white breath dissipated in front of her. Her chilled nose tingled as a cold breeze bristled by. Shivering, Sophie wrapped her jacket closer to her and stuck closer to Fitz, hoping his warmth would be enough to drive away the coldness. Sophie glanced up at Fitz's attractive teal eyes, which always seem to drag her into a dreamless state.

Her mind was still trying to wrap around their kiss. She could still feel the softness of his lips and the intense static she felt. It made her feel blissful. Happy. She thought back to Soph, who in the future ended up with Fitz. Was that her fate as well? She would be happy with him, wouldn't she? Just like Soph.

Sophie took a sharp breath as she remembered the adoring icy blue eyes she also had fallen for. Keefe. Her mind raced, her heart picking up its pace. Keefe. What would he think? Sophie pursed her lips in a thin, straight line. She knew the romantic moments they had shared. She could clearly see his gorgeous face in each memory. His sly lop-sided smirk, his trademark that seemed to capture her heart from the start. But now… she wasn't sure. Was she destined to end up with Keefe, or eventually be with Fitz? Soph's future was different. Sophie was going to save her future. But wouldn't that change her future relationship with Fitz? Sophie let out a small, frustrated sigh. She didn't want to think about this now. First, she had to make sure she could change the future.

Instantly, she remembered the weight of the world on her. Memories flashed in her mind as she remembered walking through the Wanderling Woods and seeing so many trees. So many _graves_ of people who have suffered from her mistake. She froze in her tracks and stared at the ground hard. She saw Grady's gray face and his hand going limp. Sophie gritted her teeth. Her hands clenched.

"Sophie, what's wrong?" Fitz asked after realizing Sophie had stopped in her tracks. She didn't reply as she crouched down and took deep breathes.

"Can you… can you give me a moment? I swear it's nothing. I'm just… remembering something I rather not right now." She forced out. She started to count under her breath and finally calmed before she got to the number 20. Slowly, the strength in her legs returned and she stood firmly. Looking up at the concern Fitz, she nodded and offered a weak smile.

"It's good. I'm good. Nothing's wrong." Sophie reassured him. Mostly though, she was reassuring herself. Sophie smiled a bit. She got through it. She didn't have another break down. Improvement, right?

Sophie continued to follow Fitz when from a distance, she could see the silhouette of a girl standing near a broken down motel. Her brown eyes focused on the silhouette and she squinted to get a better look. She gasped, surprised.

"Biana?!" Sophie called out sharply. She saw the girl whip around to see who called her. She stepped into the light and it was indeed Biana. Sophie's eyes widened in surprise. She quickly turned to Fitz for an explanation. He shrugged, looking a bit shocked as well.

"Everyone was pretty worried about you after that incident." Fitz simply replied. An annoyed expression crossed his face. "She and Dex wouldn't stop bugging me about it, saying they wanted to come along too. Obviously I didn't let them." He sighed heavily and scratched his head. "She probably followed me here." Sophie's frown deepened. Her eyebrows scrunched up in distress.

"Won't you two get in trouble for this?" Sophie bit her lip nervously. She reached up to pull out a loose eyelash but quickly stopped herself from doing it once she realized it. She buried her hands back in her pockets.

"You should be more worried about yourself. There are some things to clear up at school. Rumors are flying around like crazy. Not to mention, the news will eventually reach Edaline and Grady. Pretty sure they won't let you off easy for that." Fitz hinted a smirk. Sophie let out a small groan and rubbed her eyes.

"Ohhh…. That's not going to be good." She grumbled. She heard Fitz chuckle quietly at this and looked over to see him containing his laughter. She frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you're just waiting to see me get roasted, aren't you?" She poked him in the ribs. He let out his laugher and his face lit up.

"Maybe." He smiled warmly. A rosy pink color creeped in on Sophie's cheeks. Fitz really had a cute smile. She drifted closer to him so that she could feel his arm touch hers every now and then. Sophie's eyes flickered at her hand laced with Fitz's. She honestly wished she could hold his hand forever. But of course, doing that in front of Biana was a bit embarrassing. She hastily dropped Fitz's hand as they were closer to approaching Biana. A stern look flashed on Fitz's face but disappeared just as fast. Sophie blinked. Did she imagine that? Shrugging it off, Sophie was about to run up to Biana when she heard a loud noise and a scream following right after.

In the alleyway next to the old motel, Sophie recognized the figure as he tripped over the trashcan, causing it to fall and knock over the other dumpsters, creating a domino effect. Sophie cringed as she heard the dumpster crash against the already ruined motel. The figure stood up, rushing to brush off the trash and appear innocent. Sophie stared at him, dumbstruck.

"Aidan?! What are you doing here?! Did you follow us?" Sophie immediately accused. She didn't even need him to say anything. It was already evident on his face. Aidan shifted his gaze, refusing to meet her enraging eyes. He started to scratch his head and turned away. It seemed as if he was muttering something to himself. His shoulders stiffened and he swiftly whirled around. His face looked stricken.

"I was worried, obviously. For you to just go off like that with that suspicious guy." Aidan justified, shooting Fitz a pointing glare. Fitz was too shocked for a moment. That was probably the first time he was so straightforwardly called suspicious. An annoyed glint appeared in Fitz's eyes and he opened his mouth to speak. Knowing it would do them no good, Sophie quickly interrupted.

"You have nothing to worry about. What is my business, is mine only and of none of your concern. The last time I checked, you and I are only strangers." Sophie replied harshly. She immediately felt bad, but she had to drive Aidan away. She needed him to leave in order to teleport back to the Elvin World. At first, it seemed to work. Aidan openly showed his hurt feelings and frowned. Just as Sophie thought he was going to leave, he instead, marched up to her.

"I heard you guys talking! It wasn't hard either, since you guys were yelling anyways. But what I heard… that… that was— kidnapped, I don't know. You getting hurt. What was that all about? You suddenly moving away, disappearing without a trace. Was that the reason why? Why did you come back, Sophie?" Aidan asked rushed, his tone filled with suspicion and persistence. Sophie stepped back, at lost for words. Trembling, she struggled to come up with an answer. Just then, the wind lashed out, so strong that Sophie had to hold herself against the wall.

A moment later, Sophie heard a large snap. Her eyes shot up to see the sign of the broken down motel was falling off. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't have matter to her. But when she saw her best friend about to be crushed by a huge sign, her heart nearly plunged out of her body. Sophie watched in horror as Biana looked up to see the sign falling above her. Biana stood frozen scared and shock. Sophie let out a scream, yelling at Biana to move. But by then, it would be too late. Sophie's mind raced. Biana! She was too far away for Sophie to push her out of the way or to run to. There was only one option.

Suddenly, the world seemed to slow. Sophie could hear a clock tick for each second. Energy surged through her veins and immediately she knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and lunged forward, praying that she'd be able to do it. Her body tingled as if electricity was flowing in her. And hot. It was hot. But she could feel it. At once, all the energy that she could channel was let loose in front of her in a split second. She dived into the empty void that appeared and in the next second, she collided with Biana's body and sent the both of them to the ground. With a loud slam, they landed an inch away from the fallen sign. They stayed sitting on the ground, catching their breaths. Mostly Sophie though.

Her lungs felt deflated as she wheezed, trying to breath. All the energy she had before, disappeared. Shaking, Sophie tried to stand. She leaned on the wall to support her weight. Biana, recovering from the shock, immediately went to Sophie's side. Her eyes widened with surprise.

"How did you—" Biana began before a voice cut her off.

"How? One second you were standing right next to me! How did you suddenly get all the way over..." Aidan yelled, pointing a trembling finger at her. He looked at her with crazed eyes. He brought his hand up to his hair and tried to make sense of what he had witness. Sophie drew in a sharp breath. She just exposed herself. She could tell Fitz was realizing the same thing. They shared a terrified look. What should they do? Aidan saw her teleport. How could they possibly explain that? Sophie felt her heart boom against her chest, acting as a bomb. Exploding with anxiety. What did she just do? She tried to approach Aidan and explain but he quickly backed away from her.

"No don't touch me! Freak!" Aidan yelled in fear. Sophie's heart plummeted. She dropped her gaze as she bit her lip to keep her from trembling. That hurt.

"I'm not a fr—" Sophie whispered but her words were lost as she saw Aidan stiffen and suddenly go quiet as his eyes rolled back. He collapsed on the ground and behind him stood an angry Keefe. Sophie looked at Keefe with shock, but then again, so did Biana and Fitz. The four of them stood in silence, for no one knew what to say. Just as Sophie opened her mouth to speak, she felt the blood rush to her head and her knees go weak. The world tilted in front of her and her vision clouded. Sophie tried to stand straight, but everything was becoming too disoriented. Dizzy. Her energy completed faded and her knees gave out from underneath her. She collapsed on the ground and the last she could hear were the blurry and distant cries of worry. Her friends, calling her name. Then darkness.

 **Ok I know the ending kind of sucked but I'm writing this at 2:32 am in the morning and I honestly can't think straight. Sorry if its terrible or badly connected but it was kind of hard to write so pls just bear with it. But I hope you did somewhat understood what was happening. I hope u guys still liked it tho! Till the next time I update!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Omg guys I'm so sorry! I've been really busy with school work and outside curriculums! I didn't get any time to write but today I actually got a few hours to write this update. Honestly I wrote this with a time crunch so it may not be the best but that's okay. It should be doable. I just wanted to give you guys an update cuz I know some of you have been waiting eagerly for it and I'm so happy that you guys actually care about my story and love reading so anyways yeah enjoy this chapter! Sorry ahead of time for possible grammar or other writing mistakes! I didn't get the time to read over this chapter!**

 **RTHE04: Well I think Sophie would be fine with either Keefe or Fitz but your opinion is definitely taken accounted for!**

 **Selena202021: Lol Nah he just knocked out Aidan with his elbow. U know, a blow in the head. And no Sophie just fainted bc her powers was exhausted cuz she fast teleported. She wasn't actually ready to do that but since it was a tight situation, she used a lot of energy to teleport without diving off of something. It will be commented on more by the characters in the next chapter. I didn't get enough time to explain it in this one. And I love getting reviews from you! But yeah sorry bout my negativity. I kind of had a really stressful few weeks and I kind of lost confidence. I'm trying to boost myself up some more and don't worry it's not like I'm depressed or anything but I just wasn't in a really good mood cuz of school. But you probs don't want to hear me rambling on and on bout my school life but anyways it means a lot to me that you've been supporting me so much so I really want to say thank you! :)**

 **Ferntailwarriors: OMG THAT LITERALLY MADE MY DAY. Your friends role played my writing!? Omg lololol I cannot imagine that but it honestly is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Not only that it it really made me go awwwwwww that's so cute and aww they really love my story and its just a great feeling to have. So thanks for loving it that much! Tell your friends that they're awesome too! And honestly I wasn't thinking of using Aidan again cuz he was just supposed to be a character that caused the whole Sophie and her friends all become friends again thing because she saved Biana. But your idea was actually cool but I don't think I could add it into the context of my story. Oh and so sorry for not updating sooner! I'll try to make it up! Hopefully I'll update this weekend again, can't guarantee it but I will try! Also I'll keep that in mind and smile! :)**

 **ForeverFreeFall: Aw thx! Tho sometimes my writing really isn't the best at some points. But I'm glad that you believe in me! :)**

 **Sydney: Awww your reviews are so funny! Lol thx for really liking my writing! But yeah, so the thing is Soph doesn't know the exact class of when she collected so Sophie doesn't know which one to skip. And she can't skip all of them cuz it would look suspicious which would draw attention out to her, which she doesn't want. And also another thing is that Soph doesn't know the exact date either. She just estimated 2 weeks, and all of this will later be clearly explained, tho not in this chapter. It will be explained in the chapter where Soph meets everybody. So probs in the next update. This story tho will play out in a really complicated way and it will have this really huge plot twist…. Tho I guess u'll have to keep reading for that.**

 **Xylia Neo: Yeah thanks for being honest. And tbh, I don't think this one is as good as my other ones either cuz I wrote this in a short time period and didn't get to check it over but thx for the motivating review! I have been losing a lot of confidence in my writing. I feel like I'm exhausting it in a way. Like I'm trying to write really good that it just turns out sloppy and bad. This one tho… not so good but I hope it'll get better. Thx tho for the semi confidence boost!**

 **Sorry I didn't know how else to differentiate the guests so I thought this would be the least confusing way to do so.**

 **To Guest who reviewed "PLEASE UPDATE! YOU HAVEN'T IN THREE WEEKS": yeah I really apologize for that! But yay life is still okay cuz u finally got the updated you wanted! :)**

 **To Guest who reviewed "Where is it!?": ummmm not really sure what but if it's my update then here it is!**

 **OH AND THX TO I'mObssedWithBooksAndFanfics FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVOURITING!**

 **ALSO THX TO SarakMay FOR FAVOURITING!**

Chapter 12- Sophie's POV

 _Freak_. Is that what he called her?

It was true. Sophie wish she could deny it but when she thought about it, nothing about her was normal, not even the color of her eyes. She was stronger and had more abilities than any other elf alive. Heck, she wasn't even a full-blooded elf. She happened to be half Alicorn, meaning… she was practically half horse. Plus, the way she was raised was unheard of. Living with the humans was unheard of—illegal. Even as a human she was an odd one. She was ignored, bullied, laughed at, and isolated. She was different. But why? Why did it have to be her?

All throughout her childhood life, the twelve years she spent on earth, she could remember the pain. All those voices and thoughts drilling through her inner conscious. The way her classmates shunned her and mocked her, how her teachers hated her perfection, even her own parents thought she was different. A freak.

 _Freak, freak, freak_.

The word continued to echo in her dark, blank mind. It haunted her.

Sophie turned and frowned at the everlasting darkness that surrounded her. Where was she? What was she doing before? Her mind felt foggy and even the darkness seemed to fog up as well. Weird. Sophie walked through the slugged blank void, feeling confused and lost. What was this place?

She was surrounded with black. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was empty. Sophie glanced down and almost gasped in surprise. The ground rippled with each step she took, almost as if she was walking on water. And though the space was isolating and lonely, she actually felt a bit comforted by it, as if it was her own little world.

Still, Sophie trudged along, hoping to come across something— anything. Just then, as if the mysterious world had heard her wish, a glowing door appeared in front of her. It was bright. Light shone through the cracks of the doorframe. Curious and wishing to leave the empty space she reached for the doorknob. The touch of the silver handle felt cool and smooth in her small hands. Pausing for a split second, she forced the door opened. A bright light blinded her eyes and she backed away to recover. When the light dimmed, Sophie blinked her eyes open and found herself standing inside her old house in the human world. She was currently in the kitchen and the room looked exactly how it when she was still living there. However, there was only one thing that was different. Sitting at the table in front of her was a younger version of Sophie. Her younger self had big smile plastered on her face and giggled as the cake was being set down. Sophie instantly remembered the sweet memory. It was her tenth birthday.

Younger Sophie's face looked content and happy. Her human parents appeared along with her human younger sister. They all gathered around the smaller Sophie and sang the birthday tune. Sophie felt a smile reach her face. It was one of her best memories at that time. Even though she didn't have friends back in her human years, that day she felt special for finally hitting the big two digit number ten. As she continued to look at the scene, a sudden realization came to her. Was she currently in her own mind? It made sense. Even though it was empty and silent, it felt comfortable, as if she belonged. When her mind felt foggy earlier, the place around her also became foggy. Not a coincidence. Not to mention, the door leading to this scene appeared right when she wanted it to. It made complete logical sense that this was indeed her mind. But still, why was she stuck in it? Why couldn't she get out? Sophie frowned to herself as she inspected her surroundings. But just as she did, the scene shifted and soon she saw fire in front of her. Black flames. Sophie's frown deepened. This wasn't a part of her memories.

She watched as all around the people were screaming and running away. The ground shook with raging violence as black little flames danced in the sky then finally falling down like rain. Unnerving fear starting eating away at Sophie's gut. This was wrong. This isn't a part of her memory, but why did it seem so familiar? She's never seen this scene in her life but it felt like déjà vu. Sophie couldn't quite place her finger on it, but she ignored the strange feeling of recognition. Just as she turned away from the burning building, she came face to face with herself. Sophie gasped.

"Soph!" She exclaimed, relieved to see her. Soph didn't respond and looked right through her. She approached closer and closer to Sophie but failed to react to her. Instead, she passed right through Sophie's body, making Sophie scream with shock. Sophie stepped away, alarmed. Her hands went straight to her body as she patted her own skin, testing to see if she suddenly became a ghost. Her skin wasn't transparent but no one else around her could see her. Sophie pondered on until she remembered that the scene playing out before her eyes was only a mere memory. But it wasn't hers. It was Soph's. Sophie twirled around to keep a watch on Soph. She couldn't help but wonder why a fragment of Soph's memory ended up in Sophie's mind. Even though they technically were the same person, they had separate consciousness and different minds. They had their own thoughts and their own feelings and memories. They were different people and yet were also the same. Sophie groaned silently to herself. She was never going to figure out this Sophie-from-the-future thing. It was just as confusing as it had been when Sophie had first met Soph. But one thing is for sure, they did not have the same mind anymore. And this memory, _did not belong here_.

Still, Sophie continued to watch. People were freaking out. Some pointed at the explosion with shocked faces. Most, though, were running away from the threatening flames. Only Soph dashed towards the black flames, screaming with worry and fright. Her frantic eyes searched for something or someone. When she finally saw what she was looking for, Soph sprinted forward and dived through the flames. Sophie cried out after Soph, shocked at her reckless action. She ran over to where Soph had disappeared. She breathed out in relief to find Soph aiding an unconscious victim. Soph pulled the body out of the wreckage and was close enough for Sophie to make out the face. Her heart lurched as she recognized who it was. Dex. Instantly the memory of visiting future Dex all came rushing back. Sophie's eyes widened as she placed the pieces together. This was when the accident had occurred! That means this was what was going to happen in only a matter of a few weeks—no— days. This was what the Elvin world was destined to become unless Sophie somehow manages to prevent it.

The memory started to ripple away just as Soph safely got Dex away from the awful explosion. Sophie reached forward, wishing she could touched his face and somehow wake him up. But she already knew that he'd stay in a coma and never wake up. But she will. And it's about time she got out of her own little mind.

* * *

The first thing Sophie felt was pain. A lot of it. Her head throbbed as she heard slurring voices around her. They were causing a horrible headache for her. She groaned in attempt to get the voices to shut up.

"Sophie?" She heard two familiar voices call out to her. Warmth wrapped around both of Sophie's hands.

"Did she wake up?" She heard another worried voice asked, it was much higher than the other two. A girl's voice.

"I think so. Well at least she's starting to."

"It's about time she did! She's been out for a whole day!"

"Sophie… come on you can do this. Wake up Sleeping Beauty. You're not the kind to be woken up by a kiss." A boy's voice said, filled with concern. Sophie, even in her sluggish state, felt alarmed at that sentence. Why did it seem so familiar?

She could feel herself being lifted from her slumber and her conscious was slowly resurfacing. Some energy started flowing back and she could feel her body getting ready to awake. Suddenly, she remembered. It was to Dex. She said those exact to him when he was in a coma. That single memory made everything flood back, all the recent events of saving Biana from a falling hotel sign to passing out and to her weird dream. Her _vision_. _Soph's memory_.

The memory surge was enough to force Sophie to be fully awake. She slowly pried her eyes open, peeking through from under her heavy lids. Two faces appeared overhead her, looking down at her in worry. Her vision finally focused and she saw Fitz sitting to her right with Keefe to her left. Both had their hands on hers. When they saw her eyes open, they leaned forward with relief.

"She's awake!" Keefe announced. She heard a squeal and saw Biana jump on the bed next to her, embracing her in a tight hug.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Biana cried, tears rushing down her face. Sophie froze with the sudden sign of affection but slowly leaned into the hug. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"Sorry. It's okay though, I'm alright now." Sophie assured, patting Biana on the back. Biana nodded and leaned back, allowing the others a chance to talk to her. From the corner of her eyes, Sophie could see Dex standing in the corner of the room. She glanced over at him and cocked her head, wondering why he was so hung back. He caught her eye and immediately blushed, looking away. Hurt yanked on Sophie's heart. Was he still mad at her for rejecting him? A small laugh from Keefe relieved her.

"Don't worry Foster, he's just embarrassed." Keefe explained, smirking. Sophie frowned, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You were talking in your sleep. You were saying Dex over and over and over again." Fitz informed, a slight annoyed expression crossed his face. Sophie widened her eyes as she remembered her dream.

"That's because he was in my dream!" Sophie tried to defend herself. Immediately she wanted to take that back. Dex's face flamed at her response and his eyes wouldn't meet hers. Even Keefe seemed a bit shocked at her blunt answer.

"Well obviously we know that since you were saying his name nonstop." Keefe joked, though his voice sounded a bit more strained. Sophie sighed as she snuck a glance at Biana. She knew Biana had feelings for Dex and she really didn't want to mess this up again.

"It's not what you think. It was just that I saw Dex in Soph's mem—" Sophie clamped her mouth shut, her eyes widened. She was so stupid! She was just about to expose the whole future problem to everyone.

"Never mind, it was nothing." She finished lamely.

Fitz narrowed his eyes at her, obviously not believing her horrible lie. She looked to Keefe for help but he shrugged his shoulders. He opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it when the door swung open.

"Sophie Foster you have some explaining to do." Elwin commanded as he walked in. Sophie's eyes shifted towards him, alerted. Fear paced in her heart. Did they already know she was hiding the secret about Soph and the future already?

"I think we can all agree that you've been acting very differently during the past week." Elwin continued, looking at her with concern. Sophie gulped but tried to remain calm.

"How so?" She asked, playing dumb. Biana rolled her eyes.

"We're not stupid Sophie." She said softly. "You're our friend. Of course we'd see that something was bothering you. Even if we were in a fight."

"Plus," Fitz added, grabbing onto her arm. "This—" He pulled down her sleeve which revealed all her bruises and cuts. "—is not normal." He looked at her with caring eyes as he tightened his grip on her hands.

"What were you doing? Where did all of these injuries come from?" He asked, staring at her intensely. They sat for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. Keefe cleared his throat catching their attention. They both blushed. Avoiding everyone's' gaze, Sophie kept her eyes on her hands.

"What happened after I passed out?" She asked, steering clear of the questions. The others noticed her change in subject but didn't press on it, and she was thankful for that.

"After you saved me, Aidan started freaking out remember?" Biana started. Sophie nodded. "And… how he called you a freak—which you're not!" Biana quickly added. She paused and hesitatively glancing at Sophie. "Anyways, so Keefe knocked him out and then you suddenly fainted. And he looked really cool!" Sophie glanced at Keefe who just shrugged.

"That Aidan kid got on my nerves." Keefe mumbled before looking Sophie in the eyes. "Don't listen to him. You're not a freak. Just special and mysterious." He winked, making Sophie's heart do a flip.

"So of course we all got worried and brought you back to Elwin. We didn't know why you fainted but we had a suspicion that it was the crazy teleporting stunt you did back there. Even so, Elwin gave you a checkup… and that's when we saw your injuries." Fitz finished. Sophie frowned as she recalled something she heard in their earlier conversations.

"But didn't you say I was out for a whole day?" She asked. Her friends glanced at each other before nodding.

"Yeah and you sure gave us a scare." Keefe said. Guilt stabbed at Sophie as she fumbled her fingers. The room became silent again. Sophie wasn't sure what to say next but she knew everyone had tons of questions. In fact she had some too, but the one she needed to answer then was Soph. And as to right now, Sophie had no idea where Soph was.

"Why did you say my name in your sleep?" Dex asked abruptly. Sophie blushed at the sudden question but calmed her nerves. She could see Dex was just as embarrassed as she was. Sophie looked at Keefe, unsure if she should tell them the truth. He slightly nodded at her. She sighed. They already caught her red-handed anyways. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally gaining the courage to speak, she reopened them.

"Guys, I have something to tell you."

 **Yeah this was kind of a shorter chapter but I'll try to make it up this weekend! Anyways, hope you guys liked it! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Heya guys! So the last chapter wasn't extremely exciting because it was a filler chapter… you know, like a transitional chapter to set things up for the upcoming one. And now is the chapter where everything kind of comes together, so of course things will be explained more clearly and better in this chapter. However, it will still have some exciting things so you can look forward to that! ALSO…. I'M SOOO UPSET CUZ I HAVEN'T READ NEVERSEEN YET BUT NOW I ALREADY KNOW THE ENDING BC WAYYYY TOO MANY PEOPLE PUT SPOILERS IN THEIR STORIES! I can't even read those fanfics bc I still need to read Neverseen… ruining my life here…. ;*(**

 **But anyways… THANKS Booknerd726, Ally277, and TwilightSparkle16 FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVOURITING! LOVE YA GUYS SOOO MUCH! :)**

 **AND THANKS TO Bookie429 FOR FOLLOWING!**

 **RTHE04: yep! A lot of things will be explained, especially some of the missing parts of Sophie's mission. Soph will start to explain a lot of things, but of course there will be a ton of things that will be left mysterious! But you'll have to keep reading for that!**

 **Booknerd726: Ah so glad you like my story! Thanks a ton! That's really sweet!**

 **Sydney: Aw that was really nice for you to say! And honestly I love replying to my reviewers! It makes me feel much more connected to them! I'm really touched that I inspired you and its so cool that you contacted Shannon! I still haven't read Neverseen and I'm like nooooo I must read bc her books also inspired me to start writing fanfics and actually publishing it online! And people like you are honestly the ones that motivate me to continue what I do! So thx a lot! That really made me happy! Also, if you don't mind, could I read your book when you're done? It sounds interesting and I always love a cute romantic story! And yes! I would love to fit you in my story! No one has ever asked me that before but I find that a splendid idea! I already thought of some ways to fit you into the plot. I'm not really sure exactly how yet, but I'm working on it! It might be dumb to ask this but do you want your character's name to be Sydney? Or no? Also what would you want me to make her look like? Like hair color, eye color, etc. I just wanted to ask if you had any specific preferences! :)**

 **Unknown Fan: Honestly, I believe that in the actual series, Shannon will make Sophie pick Fitz. Buttttt… since this is a fanfic it can be either one! ;) However, totally will take your opinion into account! Glad you're liking the story so far!**

 **Springgirl: Awwww you don't have to review every time if you're busy! I mean I'm totally happy that you took the time to read and write a review for me! And truth be told, I missed you! Lol it's really nice to hear from you again and am so glad to know you're still reading this! Also… idk if I can make Sophie really lie about this whole thing anymore cuz it's time for a plot change! Buuutttt, I can make her leave out a few things! Especially this one big secret that you will find out in later chapters! ;)**

 **Selena202021: Haha lol yeah your reviews really do boost up my confidence and it's really what makes me keep writing! And thx… I actually have been struggling in this one really hard class but I've been working hard so yeah! But omg, so something big is coming and if you look at the clues, maybe you can guess it this time! Btw, thanks for always reviewing! Love ya lots! :)**

 **Book Eater1: Haha of course I can update! In fact… here it is! Glad to know you liked the ending too! Hopefully you'll like the upcoming chapters even more! ;)**

 **Ferntailwarriors: That's ironic since I've been seeing sooo many new people and stories in this community! Andddd sadly… I STILL HAVEN'T READ NEVERSEEN YET! I'm soooo upset! I really need to read it but I have't gotten it yet! Not only that but everyone has Neverseen spoilers in their story and I'm like… darn can't read it now! Sigh… in other words…. I feel your pain! But I hope my new update will make your boredom go away!**

 **Ember: Here it is! Enjoy!**

 **Jelly beans: I DID JUST NOW AND I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! :)**

Chapter 13- Sophie's POV

"Okay guys, everyone hold hands and _don't_ let go." Sophie ordered as she and her friends lined up on the roof. She scanned their faces to find them tired and skeptical. Well, they _did_ stay up till 3 am for this. Sighing, Sophie glanced at the starlit horizon and prayed this would work. She thought back to when she awoke in Elwin's office and how her injuries were discovered while she was unconscious. She had no choice but to explain the whole problem to them, and luckily she convinced them to wait so she could have Soph help explain. So now, here they stand, on her roof, preparing to jump and teleport to Sophie's and Soph's special training place. The problem was that Soph had no idea about this… and when she sees Sophie with everyone… Sophie shuddered, not wanting to imagine it. She slumped her shoulders and pursed her lips in a thin line.

"Alright, let's just get this over with." She muttered with dread. She quickly checked to see if everyone was ready. They all gave her a nervous nod and faced forward, bracing themselves for the fall.

"Okay, ready…. Jump!" Sophie screamed as she dragged them down with her. High pitched shrills rung in her ears as she forced a crack in the sky to open. They dived in and the next second, they hit the ground with a rough thud. Sophie groan as she held her throbbing head with her hands. While mending her headache she saw a shadow loom over her. Reluctantly, Sophie raised her head and of course it was none other than Soph. A really mad Soph to be precise.

"Sophie! What is the meaning of this!?" Soph hissed, her eyes darting back and forth between Sophie and her friends. Sophie sighed and rubbed her aching head.

"Yeah I have a lot to explain…" Sophie replied tiredly, lifting her head up. She looked at Soph and for a second, she could have sworn that Soph flickered. Sophie blinked and stared at her again, yet she was still furiously standing there. Sophie frowned in confusion, but told herself she must have imagined it.

"Well…?" Soph asked impatiently, barely glancing at Sophie's friends to check if they're alright.

"Well—" Sophie started.

"Oh my gosh! Two Sophies?!" Biana interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at Soph. Biana's face went slack as she took a step back. Dex stood beside her dumbfounded. His jaw dropped open and he rubbed his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Fitz wasn't much better either. Shocked into silence, he kept far away from Soph. Sophie frowned, knowing that their reaction was very normal, even when she had already tried to tell them about Soph. Only Keefe remained fairly calm since he's already met her. He broke into a grin and walked up to her.

"Yo Future Foster, how's it going?" He asked, raising his hand up. Soph took one disgusted look at it and rolled her eyes before a slight smile tugged at her lips. She high-fived him and by the sickening slap, Sophie could tell it was a hard one.

"Ouch, man! Whatever did I do to offend you?" Keefe asked, stepping away. Sophie watched as he shook his hand out before burying it back inside his pockets. Soph put a hand on her hip and glared at him.

"Yeah next time, don't call me 'Future Foster' or you might have to say goodbye to that hand of yours." She retorted, tapping her own hand for effect. Keefe held up his arms and slowly backed off, showing surrender. Despite Soph's threatening tone, he couldn't hide his growing smile.

"Sassy." He said at the same time Dex muttered "gruesome" under his breath. Soph's attention shifted to Dex. Her brown eyes widened as if she had just noticed Dex standing there. Her face contorted with pain and happiness as she clamped her mouth shut and turned to Sophie.

"Explain." Soph commanded, her voice dangerous.

"Yeah, Sophie, we need to hear answers now." Fitz spoke up, his tone grave. Sophie looked back at him, startled. She nearly forgot he was still there since he hasn't said a word until now. He was leaning against a nearby tree, one foot resting on another. He gazed at her intimately, making her uncomfortably. Sophie sighed and swung her hair over her shoulders before sitting down on the cold ground.

"I got caught, Soph." She answered tiredly. She laid down and stared up at the sunny sky. She still never got over the fact that it was always daytime here.

"Well I _know_ that." Soph snapped. Her eyes blazed as she gave Sophie a pointed glare.

"On the other hand, I did successfully fast teleported." Sophie coaxed, waiting for Soph's reaction. Other than her eyes slightly widening, Soph had no facial change. Instead, she waited for Sophie to elaborate. Sophie sighed and rested her gaze on the ground, refusing to look at anyone. "I went to the human world, Soph. I just… I had to get away from all of this! It felt like I was carrying this weight that was too heavy for my body. I felt intoxicated, unable to breathe! Trapped, scared, useless! Being crushed by the pressure of trying to save everyone… You know just as much – no more – than I do about this feeling!" Sophie's body trembled with emotions. Keefe winced and took a step back. He frowned at her as the knot in her heart unraveled. Sophie clenched her fist, her eyes becoming misty.

"If I didn't get away, I would have gone crazy! I was weak… I just needed everything to feel normal. I wanted to go back…" Tears started streaming down Sophie's cheek, like small rivers. Her voice cracked as she tried to choke down the sob forming in her throat. "Our human family… do you ever think of them anymore Soph? Mom and dad? Our little sister? Back when we were twelve. Back to ten, eight? Back to when we felt safe? Have you ever wanted to go back?" Sophie asked, her voice filled with pain and anguish. She finally lifted her head to stare at Soph. Soph avoided Sophie's eyes as she whispered the next two words.

"I did."

Sophie glanced away and ripped out pieces of grass. She opened her palm and let the little shreds ride in the wind freely. Silence took over as a small breeze tickled the surface of the grass, ruffling them together. The trees swayed a bit, their leaves rustling about. A tranquil silence and quiet peace settled around them. Sophie sniffled and wiped her tears. She brushed her soft blonde hair away from her face.

"That's why," Sophie took in a shaky breath, calming herself. "That's why I went to visit them. I left everyone and everything. Sure. I was running away… but it was better than my mind breaking. Then we'd have no hope at all. But, I guess I made people worry about my disappearance… because Fitz came to look for me. And he found me, like always." Sophie's eyes caught Fitz's. They looked at each other for a passing moment before Sophie continued.

"Anyways, we met up with Biana and ran into some trouble… a hotel sign was about to fall on her and I couldn't bare the thought of her getting hurt." Sophie whispered as Biana became a bit teary herself. She sat down next to Sophie and gave her hand a grateful squeeze. Sophie let a small smile show on her lips before turning to Soph.

"That's when I fast teleported. Afterwards…. I don't remember really clearly but I felt really dizzy and nauseous. I think I passed out soon after. And I had a dream…" Sophie stopped abruptly. A confused look settled on her face as she pondered on the word.

"Your dream?" Soph asked softly. Sophie squeezed her eyes shut as she willed herself to remember.

"It was important…. Something really weird happened. I remembered something… something that wasn't my memory…" Sophie gasped as her eye's widened.

"Dex!" She called out suddenly. Dex jumped. His face grew red as he looked at her wearily and surprised.

"Yeah?" He replied hesitantly. Sophie shook her head, pacing back and forth.

"No I wasn't talking to you." She muttered. Her mind was in full concentration mode. "I was talking _of_ you. You were there. But it wasn't actually you. You were… hurt…" Sophie halted in mid-step. Everyone waited for the big exclamation. It never came. Sophie let out a groan as she stomped her foot down.

"I lost it…" She wined, yanking at her hair. She felt so frustrated. It was just on the tip of her tongue. What was it? She didn't notice how hard she was pulling at her hair until Keefe placed a gentle hand on hers. She looked up and found his face only inches away from hers. A déjà vu moment with Fitz flashed in her memory. She blushed and backed away, too late to miss the hurt expression on his face.

"Wow Foster, if you keep pulling your hair out like that, you'll be bald before the end of the day." He joked, even though she could tell it was a bit forced. Soph bit her lip as she realized that too.

"Um… guys… back to the problem…" Biana interrupted. She stared at Soph, almost in an admiring way, then switched her attention back to Sophie.

"How did Sophie become so pretty!?" She exclaimed. Sophie's jaw dropped open as Soph raised an eyebrow, looking a bit stunned herself. Keefe stifled a laugh as Sophie blushed.

"Biana!" Sophie yelled, turning beet red.

"What? I was just joking… mostly." Biana glanced away. Sophie glared at her best friend just as she heard Dex and Fitz say "Sophie's already pretty!"

Everyone turned their heads towards them and Sophie's face grew hotter. She touched her burning cheeks and covered her eyes with her hands.

"Please stop…" her voice wavered with embarrassment. Dex's and Fitz's faces both flushed.

"I'm not taking it back since it's true." Fitz announced, avoiding eye contact with her. Dex nodded in agreement.

"Same here." He second. The two of them looked at each other before slightly smirking.

"The one thing we actually agree on." Fitz pointed out.

"Maybe you're not as bad as I thought, Wonderboy." Dex replied. Fitz groaned.

"Seriously… stop it with the 'Wonderboy' nickname!" Fitz called out defensively. Dex narrowed his eyes.

"Why I think it suits you perfectly." He defended. Fitz rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by Sophie.

"Guys… stop. We don't have time for this." Sophie said, still feeling a bit embarrassed. Soph nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… it's about time I give an explanation." Soph sighed. With that, everyone became silent, waiting for her to continue. "So, Sophie probably already told you, but I am Sophie Foster from five years into the future, soon to be known as Sophie Vack—" Soph immediately stopped and caught herself from slipping up. She coughed and restated her sentence. "Just call me Soph. I came back from the future because in the next few days, this world will fall under an explosion, a sickness will spread due to the star Ailementice." Soph explained everything as Sophie added a few details. Sophie watched her friends' faces as a horrid expression appeared on them. Sophie shuddered as Soph told them about their trip back to the future. Soph made sure to leave out the part of Keefe being dead and Dex being in a coma, but there was no sugar-coating Grady's death. She caught Fitz's eyes which reflected so much emotion to her, she had to look away. She did not want to be pitied. Sophie gritted her teeth. She was stronger now. At least, she had to believe she was. Otherwise, how else was she going to push herself to get through this crisis?

"I don't get it though. Why can't Sophie just skip that Elementalism class for that one day?" Keefe asked. "You said in two weeks… which now should be in 4 days."

"Two weeks was just an approximation. I don't remember the exact day it was. It's about two weeks so it can either be a little bit before or maybe even a day or two after. So you wouldn't know what day to actually skip on. Plus, if you tried skipping more than once, wouldn't that look suspicious? We can't have the council on our trail and we can't let anybody know about this. If this gets out… the whole world would go into chaos. Meaning, more trouble." Soph answered. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's been five years so this is a bit fuzzy to me… recently I felt like some of my memories are disappearing. It's like a blur to me so I can't remember. But I know that there was this weird scheduling that will happen in these next few days. I can't remember why but I know that you'll be attending Elementalism every day for the rest of this week. So in other words… you can't skip. There's no way out of this. In one of those classes, Sophie will collect Ailementice. She won't know which class but she'll definitely know when she collects it." **(Hey guys… hope this explains some things cuz I know there had been confusion about this!)**

"Just attend class like usual." Soph concluded. She scanned each and every one of their faces. "Remember, you can't tell anyone. Now, you're all part of this. You guys help Sophie when she needs it and stop causing ridiculous drama." Soph said, specifically eyeing the boys. She stood up and cocked her head.

"It's late, you guys should go back and sleep. We'll talk about this more later. But now, Sophie and I have some training to do." Soph announced. Fitz frowned as he stood up.

"We'll train too then." He said, crossing his arms. "We're all in this together now. So if Sophie's training, we're training."

"Yeah," Keefe agreed. "Plus, haven't you been quite hard on her? Look at her arms, they're bruised all over. She should take a break." They stood still, refusing to leave. Soph shook her head.

"I know you guys care about her, but you guys need to rest and think this over. It's a lot to process and Sophie is perfectly fine. She's been training like this for ten days without any problems. We only have about four days left, we need to be ready and on guard." Soph turned to Sophie, who nodded in agreement.

"I'm not as weak as you guys think I am." Sophie said, standing straight. She was tired of people thinking she need protecting. She wasn't some damsel in distress. Her eyes narrowed at the thought. "You don't know what I've been through at all. When I was in the future, I saw all of you guys. Keefe and Dex, I think you guys need to watch over yourselves more than I do, because fate wasn't kind to you." She said angrily, surprised at herself for how harsh she sounded. She threw her hair up in a loose ponytail and turned away from them, stepping beside Soph.

"Send them home, Soph." Sophie requested. With a snap of her fingers, Soph opened a portal next to them.

"Alright, party's over. Go home guys." Soph said with a smug smile. Sophie looked at her friends and saw them reluctantly walk closer to the portal. Biana was the first to go through, but before she did, she quickly embraced Sophie in a hug.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bad friend!" She said, tears spilling out of her gorgeous teal eyes. Sophie's expression soften.

"You didn't know… you weren't supposed to." She responded, giving Biana a slight push, sending her into the portal. Next was Dex, who avoided her gaze. Sophie didn't have to read his mind to know that he was feeling guilty. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her.

"Dex… I can't accept your feelings, I'm sorry." She whispered in his ears. She saw as his eye's widened and his mouth tightening. He gave a stiff nod and was about to walk into the portal, but Sophie pulled him back again.

"We're still best friends. This won't change our friendship. Plus… there's already someone who's got their eyes on you." She smirked as he blushed in surprise. With that, she pushed him in the portal. She looked back at her two remaining friends who weren't budging. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"What do I have to do to get you guys to leave?" She asked, tired. Keefe and Fitz exchanged a look before shaking their heads.

"We're not leaving." They said at the same time. Sophie knew they were going to say that. Fitz grabbed her arm and pulled her towards them, making her yelp in surprise.

"I'm such an idiot Sophie. I didn't know you were going through all of that." Fitz said, apologetically. "But I'm still against you training." Sophie sighed and looked into his eyes.

"I need this, Fitz. I've _been_ doing this. I'll be fine." Sophie replied. She gave Fitz a reassuring hug and pecked him on the cheek. He froze and he gaped at her. Slowly snapping out of his trance, he smiled and let go of her wrist.

"Okay, I got it. Just be careful." He said. "By the way, how was I in the future?" Sophie's mind flashed back to when she first met future Fitz. She and Soph exchanged a look before bursting out in laughter. Fitz frowned with worry.

"What?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting together. Soph waved him off.

"You don't need to know. It's better if you don't." She replied, still laughing. Soph led him and Keefe to the portal. But just as they walked in, Keefe spun around and tapped his cheek.

"Don't I get a kiss too?" He smirked. Sophie's heart paced as she glanced away.

"Only the cheek." She warned, giving him a quick peck. His grin widened as he turned away.

"Night Foster!" He called out as he disappeared. Once they were all gone, Sophie let out a breath of relief.

"So where do we begin?" She asked Soph, whose back was facing her. She didn't reply. "Soph?" Soph jumped, and turned to face Sophie.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, her voice a bit strained. Sophie cocked her head as she raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" She asked, eyeing Soph's hand which covered her wrist. Sophie pointed to it with a frown. "Soph, what—"

"Nothing's wrong." Soph snapped, turning her back towards Sophie again. Sophie backed off, holding her hands up.

"Geesh, sorry." Sophie said, making a face. "What's your problem anyways? Just a minute ago you were fine…" She looked up at Soph again to find her flickering. Sophie blinked. Her frown deepened as she walked closer to Soph. It can't be her imagination. She could clearly see her flickering in and out, like a flashlight losing its batteries. Sophie reach out for Soph's wrist.

"Soph, seriously what—" Sophie gasped as she tried to grab Soph's wrist. Instead of touching it, her hand went right through it. Sophie cried out in alarm, pulling her hand back. She blinked and stared at Soph's arm. It was transparent. A horrid though rushed through Sophie's head. Soph was fading.

 **The ending might have been slightly rushed but it's good enough! Anyways… I was thinking of how I was going to finish this story… which don't worry, we still have a lot of chapters left (I'm just thinking ahead of time) but another story idea came to me! I know I already have Her Curse going on… but idk if I'm still doing that. Either way I came up with this new story idea which I will later post the summary of and see if you guys would be interested in that! It's going to probably consist of Neverseen spoilers… but first… I have to read Neverseen! Seriously… still waiting for the book! ;*(**


	14. Chapter 14

**Heyyyyaaa I'm back with another update! Enjoy!**

 **THANKS SO MUCH TO jky530 FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVOURITING! :)**

 **To Booknerd726: Well… even tho you might hate cliffhangers, it makes u want to read the next chapter… as in you'll continue to read my story! And when people want to read my story… my writing has done its job! Lol. Here is your new update! The impatient wait is finally over! ;)**

 **To EmUnited: Yeah.. still wishing I can read it… anyways, who knows if Fitz will end up with Sophie in this fanfic… oh wait… I do! But hehe I'm not telling! Guess you'll have to keep reading and find out! ;p**

 **To Keeper: Same here! It is my one desire at the moment… actually that's a lie.. I have to many desires… like foooddddd….. yeah but it's definitely one of my top things I need to do!**

 **To RTHE04: I know but I still haven't got the chance to read it yet… wah so sad. And sorry… I couldn't update everyday durng the weekend cuz I had family parties and of course black Friday too so sadly I didn't have the time! Sorry to keep you waiting tho! B/c the wait is finally over!**

 **To jky530: Idk why… but for some reason I actually really like your username… is that weird? It looks similar to sky and idk it feels catchy… yeah that's weird to say but eh. And yay! So glad you like my story! I love it when I hear new people tell me that they like it and it makes me feel so giddy so thanks so much! And also… I can't tell you who Sophie is going to end up with… buttttt you'll find out eventually! It must remain secret for now! ;) I'm evil, I know**

 **To Jennie: I can feel your enthusiasm! Lol thanks so much! That is honestly such a big compliment to me and it makes me really really really happy bc I had never thought my writing sounded even close or was even good enough to sound similar to Shannon Messenger so that really brought me up and made me extremely happy! So thanks and I love ya so much for that! Like this is such a sweet review! :)**

 **To margaret raupp: well I'm not a conjurer but… look what I finally wrote! Chapter 14… TADA!**

 **To thesuperawesomebookworm: YOUUUUU OMG I CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW MUCH IVE MISSED HEARING FROM YOU! UR FINALLY BACK! So many new people and stories appeared and I felt like everyone from before just up and vanished but yay so glad to have you back! It's nice to hear from a familiar fellow author! And I LOVE HOW U LOVE MY STORY BC IT IS SUCH A GREAT HONOR! I mean let's be real, your one of the greatest writers out there! :)**

 **To Lady Luna: Omg no way! I'm your hero… wait one sec… *turns away and squeal while doing cartwheels and happy dance before taking a deep breath. AWWWWWWWW THAT'S SO SWEET! I can't believe I made you feel like you were reading Shannon Messenger! Like fanning myself to keep myself calm. U r so sweet and I can't tell you how happy you made me when I read that! I'm glad to know that my writing moved you to tears! I don't feel like I'm super talented but when you say this it makes me feel like huh people think I'm really talented? But then I'm like crying because I'm extremely happy by that. And I believe you can be as talented as you want as long as you keep writing! :)**

 **To Sydney: Yay! Can't wait to put you in the story! Tho sadly, it won't be this chapter. But yeah I can definitely use your description and interpret it into the story! But for your personality being a bit "dark", like what exactly do you mean? Like a bit sarcastic kind of dark? Also Idk if I can really fit a sniper or a bow and arrow, but how does a dagger sound? Can't wait for you to finally appear tho! Hope you like how I will write your character as!**

 **Okay guys, so you know how it's always been in Sophie's POV? Well guess what? I'm changing it up today!**

Chapter 14- _**Keefe's POV**_

Everyone had returned to Firefox Academy after stepping into the portal. Everyone but Sophie, who stayed behind to train with her future self. Keefe didn't like the idea and couldn't help but worry about her health. He always felt, every day that she came to school, the tiredness and stress piling up on her. He wanted to help, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. He felt so powerless, it was so uncool and pathetic. He couldn't even help out the girl he liked. Sighing, Keefe looked up towards the sky, wishing he could see Sophie's face again.

It still the dark outside and no lanterns were lit, leaving the four friends alone in the black night. But, the moon was round and full, glowing with such radiance, one could have mistaken it for the sun. Beside it, the stars danced in the moonlight, sparkling like dozens of diamonds. Despite the beautiful night, Keefe couldn't shake off the perturb and unsettling feeling he had sensed. It wasn't his imagination, he was sure of that. It was too strong. The overflowing emotions of despair and fear was unforgettable. But what was more disturbing, was who it was coming from. His eyes narrowed at the thought. He hoped Sophie was safe. Ever since the incident with the mirrors and running into that Aidan boy, Keefe needed to have her by his side, or who knows what else she might do to endanger herself. But if she knew he was worried this much, it might just cause more stress upon her. Meaning, once again, Keefe had to keep the mood light. Though, he never really minded that. It was just in his personality. Cracking jokes was his way of saying that things were going to be okay. And if he did it enough, he would start to believe it himself.

Quickly glancing at his imparter, Keefe noticed how late it actually was. He frowned and wondered when Sophie actually had the time to sleep. For the past days, he had notice the growing dark circles beneath her eyes and how sunken they always seemed. She never seemed to be happy anymore either. There was always this boiling emotion under her skin that she hid. While his thoughts were clouded with continuous worries for her, Keefe glanced back to where the portal was. He expected everyone to have light leaped home already but was surprised to find Fitz staring off at the empty space. His normally bright teal eyes glowed even more under the moonlight, yet they had such a faraway look in them. Keefe walked up to his best friend and stood next to him. They both stared at where the portal had disappeared.

"I still feel uncomfortable with Sophie up there." Fitz frowned, his hands clenched. They stood silent for a moment. Both had their hands buried in their pockets with a lost feeling in their hearts. Keefe could feel the nervous and anxious vibes bouncing off Fitz. It was starting to effect Keefe's mood too. Again, the memory of the haunting, perturb feeling returned. Keefe shuddered and stared at the sky with disgust.

"I don't trust her." Keefe said in a grave tone. Fitz faced Keefe with a surprised expression plastered on, but waited for Keefe to elaborate. Keefe held his right hand out in front of him and stared into his palm.

"I didn't feel it at first, but from the moment she high-fived me, I sensed something terribly wrong. She was afraid of something, desperate and lost." Keefe said. "But she acted so normal so I had thought I imagined it. But the feeling kept getting stronger. At some points in the night, I sensed her fear increase drastically, but the next second it went down again." Fitz listened quietly as he seemed to be in deep thought. After thinking on it for a bit, he shook his head.

"But it's Sophie. Like come on, how could we not trust our own _friend_?" Fitz asked, clearing his throat at the last word. His face scrunched up with discomfort, as if he didn't like regarding her as a friend.

"She's a Sophie from five years into the future. Who knows what five years can do to a person?" Keefe posed. He paused for a moment before continuing. "But you're right. Soph didn't seem to be dangerous or threatening, yet there was something that was off about her tonight." Fitz cocked his head as he heard Keefe say this. His teal eyes shone with curiosity and seriousness.

"So what do you think about it then?" Fitz asked. Keefe didn't bother looking at Fitz as he concluded his thoughts.

"I think that, she's definitely hiding something."

 _ **Sophie's POV**_

Sophie stared at Soph's translucent skin. The world had suddenly stopped moving. No sounds existed. No movement. Not even a single breeze rustled the leaves surrounding them. They stood for a minute with neither of them moving or talking. Soph's face was tilted away from Sophie, hiding her pained expression as Sophie continued to stare endlessly at her with scared eyes. Sophie slowly reached out for Soph's hand, her own hand shaking violently.

"Soph…" Sophie whispered, dread filled her veins. She held up Soph's thin wrist, touching it delicately, afraid Soph would vanish any second. By her hurting expression, Sophie knew that Soph already had an idea of why she was fading.

"How long?" Sophie asked quietly, her eyes turned serious. Soph averted her gaze, but she couldn't stop a wet glaze sliding over her eyes. Her brown eyes sparkled as the tears wielded up in the corner of her eyes.

"A few days ago…" Soph's voice wavered. She breathed in deeply, trying to keep her emotions under control as she quickly wiped her hot tears with the back of her hand.

"Soph… how did this happen?" Sophie asked cautiously, worried that Soph might break. Taking in another shaky breath, Soph glanced down at her own arm which had started turning back to normal.

"When I went back to the future, after my powers had waned, I was talking to Vertina—"

"Wait Vertina's still in our house!? Even in the future?!" Sophie couldn't help but burst. Soph gave her a crossed look before answering.

"Yeah, of course she is. Why wouldn't she?" Soph asked, sounding very judgmental. She sniffled, then scowled at Sophie, who shrugged with a sheepish look on her face.

"I just thought I probably had thrown her out the window by that time. You know, because sometimes she can be so—" She immediately cut herself off as she saw Soph's death glare. She cleared her throat and motioned for her to continue. Soph rolled her eyes, but Sophie could see the corner of her mouth slightly turn up. Sophie almost smiled herself. So this is how Keefe cheer people up, by making some terrible joke to cut the ice.

"I was talking to Vertina and was looking at my reflection when I suddenly saw myself flicker in and out. Vertina was shocked by it too, proving that I wasn't just seeing things. I didn't know why at first and I thought it was just because I go back to the past too much but—" Soph stopped mid-sentence. Sophie frowned as she waited for an explanation that never came. She waved her hand, gesturing for Soph to go on. But when she still didn't say anything, Sophie sighed.

"But…?" Sophie pressed. Soph shook her head, refusing to say anything more.

"I can't tell you now…" Soph replied shortly. Sophie looked up hastily.

"Are you serious? We're going back to that thing again?" Sophie asked incredulously. "We're going back to the you're-not-ready-for-this way of explaining? If you're not going to explain now, then when? Four days, Soph. You said it yourself. We don't have much time. You're going to have to tell me." Sophie pushed for an answer. Soph shook her head again and snapped her fingers. Beside her, another portal appeared.

"It's not that Sophie… it's just that _I'm_ not read to share it yet. It might be better if you don't know why…" Soph said with a sad expression. Sophie frowned as her hands clenched.

"But—"

"It's late, go home." Soph said tiredly. She sat on a nearby boulder and waited for Sophie to leave. Sophie let out an angry puff of breath stormed into the portal angrily.

"Fine! But you better tell me later!" She called out before she left. As soon as she left, Soph was left weeping and shedding silent tears, alone in the long night.

 _ **Fitz's POV**_

He was so relieved when he saw Sophie standing by her locker the next morning. He couldn't shake off the anxiety building up in his gut since last night. After the conversation he and Keefe had last night, he's been worried sick about Sophie. But by seeing her getting things out of her locker like normal, he felt the coiled-up ball of stress fall apart. Releasing a nervous breath, he made his way over to Sophie.

"Sophie!" He called out. She whirled around to see who said her name and smiled when she saw Fitz.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, her voice sweet like sugar. There was a slight dash of red in her cheeks, making her appear more charming. Fitz brushed his hand through his soft brown hair and returned a warm smile.

"I'm good. Did you get enough sleep last night?" He asked. An annoyed expression crossed her face as she let out a groan.

"I never do anymore… though I did get more than usual." She practically spat. Fitz raised an eyebrow. Wouldn't someone usually be happy about getting more sleep? Unless… Fitz recalled his and Keefe's conversation last night.

" _I think that, she's definitely hiding something."_

Fitz frowned as he stared at Sophie in wonder. Could it be that something happened between Soph and Sophie last night? Did Soph tell her something? Questions started swimming around in his head. He was dying to ask them as his curiosity increased.

"Fitz, you okay?" Sophie asked, bringing Fitz back to the present. He looked at her confused for a second before throwing on his usual smile.

"Yeah sorry, I was just thinking of something." He replied. Sophie looked at the ground with worry.

"Oh… was it too much to take in?" Sophie asked with a small voice. "Sorry about that…" Fitz cocked his head in question, then his eyes lit up. He let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"Oh, no it's not that… Though that was pretty surprising." Fitz paused. "Actually no. It was _really_ shocking. It was kind of hard to let it sink in, but all I could think about that moment was that you had to hold all of that weight yourself." His expression became serious as his face softened.

"Seriously, how come you didn't tell me before? I could have helped you." Fitz said, disappointment clearly shown on his face. Sophie sighed and averted her gaze.

"It's not something that I could tell you… or anybody for that matter." She replied. Fitz frowned as he thought back to Keefe's reaction, how he seemed unfazed by Soph and was overly familiar with her.

"Then how come Keefe knew about it?" Fitz questioned, unable to hide the bitterness in his words. He knew that Keefe liked Sophie for a long time now and for all he knew, they might even share mutual feelings for each other. That really bothered him. But he and Keefe had been friends since they were kids and honestly, if he could pick anyone that he knew would always be there for Sophie, it would be Keefe. Still, Fitz wanted to be the one who was always by her side. He looked at Sophie, who was taken back from his comment. She cleared her throat and grabbed a few books out of her locker.

"He wasn't supposed to know… it was an accident." She answered, brushing a strip of her blonde hair behind her ear. She looked up at him and stood up. "That day when you saw me jumping out of the second story window, I was practicing teleporting to where I train with Soph. Keefe happened to grab my arm just as I was falling. So he kind of teleported with me and found out everything." She started to walk away before turning back and offered a small smile. Fitz, who was still frowning, sighed.

"Still… I wish it were me instead." He mumbled under his breath. Sophie tilted her head.

"What? Sorry I couldn't catch that last part." She asked. Fitz slightly shook his head and let out an annoyed breath.

"I can't help but worry about you. Saving the future all by yourself is a no no, okay? Everyone has your back, including me. We're all in this together now, so next time, tell me when something's wrong… please." Fitz said, his eyes contained so much emotion. He wanted to tell her that he loves her, that he wanted to switch places with her and bear some of the pain she held. He just didn't want to let her go. He held her gaze for the longest time until the bell finally rung. Fitz frowned and stepped back. Sophie glanced up at him, resolved.

"I will, so don't worry about me." She whispered. "I'm not weak anymore, so trust me, okay?" She waved and turned to leave for class before she could see a small smile appear on Fitz's face as he whispered a single word back.

"Okay."

 **Hope you guys like this chapter! It's another filler chapter but don't worry cuz the next chapter is ooooo... you'll find out! Sorry if the guy perspective wasn't super good b/c remember, I'm a girl. I tried and I don't think guys think that much differently from girls cuz, we're all humans but yeah. The guys perspective was just kind of for fun and for a little mix up. I'll probs write in their POVs more later on but anyways…. I have a great new story idea! I mentioned it last time but then a new one popped up and I think this one is more unique! It's about Dex… yeah I know what you're thinking… Dex, why him? What could one possibly write about him as the main character? Well below is a summary so please check it out and see if it's a good idea to write!**

 **Summary:**

 **Dex is nobody's favorite (at least to the majority), the one who never gets the girl, and always a third wheel… actually fifth wheel. But as time passes and the Keeper crew grows up, Dex takes up a Technopath opportunity offered to him and leaves Firefox academy. Two years pass and Dex returns, but he's changed. He's no longer that young, immature boy. So will he finally get a chance at love with the girl he's always chased? Or will a new love strike unexpectantly? (Includes Sox, Sophitz, Keefster, Keana, and Dex plus another mysterious girl!)**

 **So I thought that this fanfic idea was pretty different from everything else in KOTLC fanfic, maybe I'm wrong but I don't see anything with Dex so… but this idea isn't official so please review and tell me if it's interesting to you or not! Thanks! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Heya guys! So sorry I didn't update for a while! I had exams and stuff at home happening so yeah. Anyways… I know the last few chapters were all kind of fillers. But this is when the action starts! So enjoy!**

 **THANKS MargalitiousTakesCommand and xoYanaaa FOR FAVOURITING AND FOLLOWING!**

 **Copic (Plus Xylia Neo): Lol tbh I'm not a huge fan of Dex but I felt like he was underrated… like he's portrayed in the more negative way by everyone and like no one thinks in his perspective. Plus, I found out that a guy I liked for 3 years got a girlfriend and literally that was like heart breaking. So then I was thinking of a story idea and I somehow thought of Dex and how he never gets the girl he loves and I was like… that's sad. So yeah lol, but glad to know you're pumped about this story! Thanks for the feedback!**

 **Keeper: Aw! And Same! Dex is probs my least favorite but that makes the fanfic more fun to write!**

 **Keefster: Tbh I hate Sox and Keana too! But ya know… it won't be Sox if I did write it so no need to worry! Lol see what I did there?**

 **Lady Luna: Yay thx! I'm glad you think so!**

 **Guest: Thx so much! Sorry you had to wait so long for this update but it's out now so yay!**

 **Jilveny: hey your name is kind of like silveny… connection? ;) And thx for the feedback! I'm actually surprised about how some people are actually willing to read about the dex story!**

 **Unknown Fan: Sadly… still not. I really don't know when I can and sigh… it's depressing but thx for telling it's good! Makes me look forward to reading it more! And yes, I know that in the actual books, Sophie probably ends up with Fitz cuz it's just like… out there!**

 **Unknown Fan: So I'm not sure if you're the same person but haha thx anyways!**

 **Sydney: Okay so your character will show up after a few more chapters! I don't know for sure if I can make it obsidian but I'll try to fit it in! And I kind of get what you want for the dark thing so yeah I'll try my best! Thank you for reviewing all the time too! :) And yes… I WILL ADD MORE ROMANCE! Lol I've been getting a few request like that!**

 **KOTLC: For a second I was confused but then I realized you reviewed for one of my older chapters! But yeah Keefe does die… in that future. ;)**

 **xoYanaaa: Your reviews… OMG HAHAHAHA they crack me up! Thanks so much for reviewing for all of my chapters! Literally, that made my day! And I loved reading all of them cuz they were just so sweet and funny! But yeah.. kind of knew you weren't a Sophitz person cuz of ur fanfic but that's okay! There will be plenty of Keefster moments to make up for it! :)**

 **Hope I didn't miss any! If I did, totally tell me cuz I'm so sorry, I might have lost track! Anyways enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 15- Sophie's POV

"What?!" Sophie yelled as she stood up and slammed her fist against the table. Sir Conley jumped before glancing her way.

"Is there something wrong with that, Sophie?" He questioned, raising a surprised eyebrow. Everyone's eyes were on her— some of her classmates barely able to contain their giggles. Sophie blushed, hiding her face behind her long blonde hair as she sat back down.

"No sir… sorry." She mumbled quietly, sinking lower in her seat. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment as she refused to have eye contact with anyone. Sir Conley paused before clearing his throat.

"As I was saying, you will have a special project due at the end of this week in which you will be partnering up with the level five students. For this project, you will have class time to work on this assignment. However, you will also be required to work on it during study hall." Sir Conley explained, getting a few groans in response. He frowned but carried on.

"You must collect all of the elements on this handout and write a five page essay on your discoveries." Even more groans came in protest but Sir Conley ignored them as he stepped towards the door. "Since this project is much more difficult than an average test, I will allow you to use the rest of today to start it. But first, I will assign the partners in pairs of two—a level three and a level five student together." He said, opening the door for the other class to walk in.

Sophie sighed as she sunk lower and lower in her seat. This must be what Soph was telling her about when she said that they'd be attending Elementalism every day of the week. Which could only mean one thing… the day was finally approaching… and soon. Sophie scowled at her desk and clenched her hands into small fists. She really didn't feel prepared to save the world. Then again, she never was. But this time, it was like she was just anxiously waiting to somehow screw up.

"Making a face like that won't attract any boys, Foster." A familiar voice came from behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know it was Keefe. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the giddy feeling that was rising in her stomach.

"If a guy doesn't like all of my facial expressions then guess he's the wrong guy for me." Sophie retorted. Keefe smirked as he slid down in the chair next to her. He rested his elbow on her desk as his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Then I guess that won't be a problem for me." He replied smoothly. The comment struck Sophie, causing her to be speechless. Her face flushed as she turned away from him.

"Geez Keefe… how can you say that with such a straight face? Seriously stop joking around." Sophie said, brushing him off as she tugged at the ends of her blonde hair. Keefe's face instantly changed, his face reflecting a pensive and serious countenance.

"I am serious." He said, his tone earnest. Sophie was once again speechless, unable to come up with a response. Luckily, Fitz happened to butt in-between them, cutting off their conversation.

"Hey guys," Fitz greeted with his usual superstar smile. Sophie felt her heart leap, but noticed the other girls in her class swooning over Fitz and Keefe too. Even after being friends with them for so long, it never ceased to amaze her of how many girls they can enchant with a single glance.

"Hi," Sophie responded, switching her attention from Keefe to Fitz.

"Sup man." Keefe said with a grin growing on his face. Fitz grinned himself as he settled down, pulling up a seat next to him. Around the room, the class erupted with chattering and laughter. It was loud and soon everyone was distracted with their own side conversations. Sophie found herself mainly listening to the conversation between Keefe and Fitz as she scanned the room for Dex and Biana. She frowned as she noticed they weren't present. Sitting up in her seat, Sophie tapped Fitz's shoulder, catching his attention.

"Yeah?" He asked, turning to face her. She looked around the room briefly before posing the question, "where's Biana?"

Fitz glanced around the room and shrugged, looking confused too. He tapped on the desk in wonder.

"That's weird… she was with me this morning. But then Dex ran into us and the two of them headed off on their own." Fitz recalled. Sophie blinked. A moment of silence shrouded them before realization hit them hard.

"WHAT?!" Sophie shouted, once again shooting out of her chair while slamming the table. Fitz seemed to have the same thought as his face turned pale. He cupped his head with both hands before groaning.

"Biana and Dex… possibly a thing… I think I might be having a nightmare… please let me wake up soon." Fitz mumbled quietly to himself. Despite also being shocked, Sophie's face glowed with happiness for her best friends. She clapped her hands together and had a huge smile plastered on her face.

"That's so cute though!" Sophie beamed. She couldn't wait to congratulate Biana and Dex. "It's definitely mutual love!" Fitz and Keefe stared at her, incredulous. She noticed their bemused look and cocked her head.

"What?" She asked. Keefe just shook his head in amazement while Fitz buried his face deeper into his hands.

"That's horrific… I can't even begin to imagine that." Fitz groaned. Sophie gaped as she lightly slapped his arm.

"Fitz!" She called out with disbelief. "That's horrible! You should be happy for Biana! I mean wouldn't you be happy if the girl you liked shared the same feelings for you?" Fitz paused as he thought about it. Even Keefe grew quiet at the question. They shared a look, one that Sophie couldn't decipher. Fitz glanced up at her, his eyes shone with so much tenderness, it made Sophie's heart stop.

"I would." He answered. Then a smile formed on his lips. "But I guess I'd have to wait for that girl to realize my feelings." They stared at each other and Sophie would have to be an idiot if she didn't know the true meaning behind those words. She laughed nervously and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. She had no idea what to say to that. Instead, she tried to busy herself by flipping through the Element textbook.

"So…Sophie," Keefe interrupted the awkward silence. He put on a knowing smirk. "Do you like anyone?" Sophie jumped at the random question, dropping her pen in response. Keefe bent over to pick it up just as she did, their hands brushing together. She jerked away, banging her elbow against the edge of her desk.

"Ouch!" She yelled as a fiery numbness spread inside her arm. She hunched over, cradling her injured elbow. Keefe winced himself, feeling her pain. Finally, the pain subsided. Sophie let out a breath of relief before looking back at them. Oh yeah… she still didn't answer their question. Sophie frowned under their uncomfortable gaze. She open her mouth to answer right when Sir Conley clapped his hands. Sophie quickly turned to face the front of the classroom, grateful for the interruption.

"Sorry for the wait. The list of partners is posted on the front board. Come take a look and get started. We will head out to the courtyard shortly so spread out and stay safe. There will be several other teachers to monitor you guys. If you have any questions, ask one of them or come to me. Any questions?" Sir Conley scanned the room and when he saw no hands raised, he dismissed the class. Everyone scrambled to the front of the room, searching for their names on the list. Sophie made her way up and tried to take a glance at the list, but was pushed aside. She sighed and stood by the side. She watched as Keefe crawled out of the crowd with ease.

"Who'd you get?" Sophie asked, curious. She hoped she was his partner. Keefe smirked.

"Aw Foster, I wish I was partners with you too." He said, winking. Sophie's heart fell as she heard those words. She was so disappointed, she didn't even realize the fact that he sensed her emotions.

"Oh…" She muttered. Keefe chuckled and patted her head gently.

"Come on, don't be so disappointed. Smile. You look cuter that way." He teased. Sophie rolled her eyes and moved his hand off her head.

"Keefe, who'd you get?" She repeated, letting out a small laugh.

"Biana." Keefe sighed. "But she's not here right now. Not that it really matters. I was planning to skip out on this project anyways." He stretched his arms and yawned. Sophie's eyes widened.

"Again?" She questioned with disbelief. "Keefe, are you seriously going to skip at such an important time?" Sophie frowned as she once again was reminded of her quest. It can happen any time now… they had to be ready. Her nose scrunched up in worry as she hugged the books in her arms tightly against her chest. She felt a warm hand on top of hers. She looked up to find Keefe with a soft expression on his face.

"Don't worry, I'll be around and ready if anything happens." Keefe assured her. Then returning back to normal, he put on a smug smile. "Plus, I can't really do anything without my partner." Sophie nodded in agreement and shrugged.

"True…" She said. Just then, Fitz made his way out of the crowd and smiled at her.

"Guess we're partners." He grinned. Sophie breathed out in relief.

"Oh good! I was scared I'd get someone I didn't know." She said happily. Fitz handed her the handout which she briefly glanced over.

"Okay… there's a lot… meaning there's going to be a lot of times when we might collect Ailementice." Sophie calculated. She groaned and started walking towards the door with Fitz. She looked back and waved to Keefe.

"See ya later, Keefe!" Sophie said, leaving. He gave a slight wave in return. She and Fitz headed down to the courtyard as Sophie started planning out their assignment.

"So… which element should we collect first?" Sophie asked, scanning the handout once again. Fitz glanced over her shoulder, looking at all the elements listed. He was standing so close, she could feel his breath against her neck. Sophie felt her cheeks burning and stiffened.

"Hmmm… this is a pretty long list…" Fitz sighed. He stepped back and pointed to one of the names. "Let's just go with this one. It seems to be the easiest to find." Sophie nodded and followed behind him. He held the star-catching bottle in his hand and gazed up at the sky. Fitz tried to cover the sun's gleam with his hand, but to no prevail. Sophie frowned as she also looked up at the bright sky.

"How does Sir Conley expects us to collect stars in the middle of the day?" Sophie complained. Fitz shrugged with an annoyed expression.

"They're just trying to make it harder on us. So we can have a 'challenge' as they call it."

"Still…" Sophie groaned. She shook her head and thought back to the map. An instant picture appeared and Sophie gasp. "Wait! I got it! It's…" She paused and searched the sky. "There!" She said, pointing at the top of a small hill. Fitz grinned.

"Sweet! Glad to know I have a dependable partner." He complimented. Sophie glowed with happiness as she led him towards the star. They stopped at a particular spot and Sophie held out her bottle. She concentrated and closed her eyes. _Come on_ , she thought as she tried to angle it right. Nothing happened and she frowned.

"I was never good at this stuff…" She grumbled. Fitz laughed as he came up behind her.

"Here, hold it like this." He said, gently moving her arm in the right position. His hand held hers and their bodies touched, almost like he was hugging her. Sophie felt the pace of her heart quicken as she held her breath.

She remembered. Almost like it was déjà vu. The first time, when she collected Elementine, this was their exact position. She remembered how it felt so right. Even now it felt comforting. But something was off about it. Like an anxious emotion she couldn't shake off. Was it because that this time, they were risking the chance of finding an element that would destroy the world?

Sophie glanced up at Fitz. Having him so near here, made her feel safe. But this whole situation that they're stuck in, didn't. She breathed in and focused on the jar as she felt it heating up.

"Any time now…" Fitz whispered as they watched closely. Sophie's hand started wavering as her fear increased. She couldn't watch. What if it was Ailementice? Sophie shut her eyes tight as she felt the jar growing hotter. Then suddenly, she heard a pop and opened her eyes to find a normal glowing orb. She blinked and stared at it. She looked up at Fitz who gave her a kind smile.

"It's not this one." He reassured, letting out a relieving sigh. Sophie could finally breathe again too. She felt her lungs expand and shook out her shaking hands.

"Whew okay." Sophie said. "One down… lots more to come." She glanced at the list. Sophie and Fitz set out for the rest. Hours passed and so far, things were looking good. No stars turned out to be odd in any way and finally the day was over. Collecting the stars and finding them normal almost made Sophie feel as if Ailementice didn't actually exist. It almost felt peaceful. _Almost_. But Sophie had an anxious feeling resting in the pit of her stomach, waiting for it to happen. A few more days passed and still nothing happened. The project was turning out fine and the stars were all the right one. It didn't seem right. The more time that past, the more scared Sophie felt. The days were passing too peacefully. She knew, sooner or later, it'll all come crashing down.

It was the third day of the project. Sophie and Fitz had only one fourth of the list left to collect. They were walking side by side in the courtyard when Fitz spoke up.

"It feels weird." Sophie glanced up at him and cocked her head.

"How so?" She asked. Fitz frowned as he gestured at the wide sky.

"Don't you find it funny how three days have passed with us constantly collecting stars, yet we still didn't find Ailementice?" Fitz questioned, turning to her. Sophie looked away.

"Well yeah… it is kind of weird." She muttered.

"Exactly." Fitz sighed. "What if this whole thing is just a faux? What if she's lying Sophie?" Fitz suddenly asked, his tone skeptical. Sophie snapped her head up, shocked.

"What!?" She exclaimed. "You think Soph is lying? Why would she? She has no reason to!" Sophie felt offended. Almost like he was accusing her herself… which in a way, he was.

"What do we know, Sophie?" Fitz posed, dubious. "Their future… how do we even know it exists?" Sophie stared at him, exasperated.

"Um, hello..? Soph! She's living proof!" Sophie cried out. "Fitz, seriously! What are you saying?!" Fitz sighed while shaking his head.

"I'm not accusing you, Sophie. But Soph is hiding something. I can feel it. And so can Keefe. I don't trust her. How do you even know if the future is really as bad as it seems? We don't know, we just don't." Sophie stepped away, feeling a bit betrayed. She shook her head and stared at him with hurt eyes.

" _I_ do." She whispered. Fitz's eyebrows knitted together as he stepped closer to her.

"What?" He asked, softly. Sophie looked away. Fitz's frown deepened as he reached out for her hand.

"What aren't you telling me?" He whispered, worried. Sophie brushed him off and turned away.

"I went to the future, as Soph already explained. But you, you don't know how bad it was. You can't possibly understand how horrible it was! It's not just Grady, Fitz! It's all of us! Millions! We're going to end up dead! Soph wasn't lying, I experienced it myself! I saw all of it!" Sophie shouted, tears threatening to fall. She took in a shaky breath, trying to lower her voice. "It's enough to make someone go mad." She whispered, backing away.

"Sophie… I…" Fitz watched her with sad, apologetic eyes. "Sorry… I went too far." The two of them stood there awkwardly, neither of them willing to speak. Sophie sniffed and turned away.

"Let's just… collect the rest of them and be done." With that, she ended their conversation. She knew that Soph wasn't lying, but Fitz was right. Soph was hiding something. Sophie recalled when she tried to touch Soph's fading hand, how she went right through it. Why didn't Soph tell her why? Why was she trying to hide it? And that dream she couldn't remember… Sophie felt like it was somehow linked to Soph's fading. But how? She still couldn't remember the dream, but she knew that it was foreign to her.

Sophie sighed, her heart feeling down. She just had to get through this, and maybe after this whole situation, she can live normally again. Sophie held out her bottle as she scanned the sky for the next star. Just as she did, she heard someone calling her.

"Foster!" She heard a familiar voice call. She whirled around and saw Keefe running up to her along with Biana.

"Hey what's wrong?" She asked. Keefe gave a questioning look.

"We heard yelling from over here so we rushed over…" Keefe trailed off as he sensed the awkward vibes. He exchanged a look with Biana and walked up to Sophie.

"Did something happen?" He asked, quietly. Sophie waved him off with her hand.

"It's not important." She answered courtly. "Here help me with this element." Keefe nodded, still skeptical, and he helped her position her arms right. They waited but nothing happened. Sophie frowned.

"Is the position wrong or something?" She questioned. Keefe looked confused himself.

"No it should be right…" Just as he said that, Sophie felt her hand burning. She glanced at her hand as her friends called out in alarm. The jar that she was holding was engulfed in a black flame. Sophie let out a scream as the burning pain intensified. Keefe cried out in pain, grabbing his own hand. No doubt experiencing the pain from Sophie. But all that was in Sophie's vision was the black flames that was spreading up her arm. Fear engulfed her as she dropped the jar. Fitz shouted at it just as Sophie realized her mistake. Luckily, Biana caught the jar before it crashed onto the floor. The flames died out and Biana was juggling it between her hands, trying not to get her hands burned. When it finally cooled down, Sophie examined her arms to see a small burn. She frowned.

"It barely left a mark." She noticed, cautiously touching her arm. "It doesn't burn like normal fire…?"

"Okay, so what do we do about this?" Biana asked, scared, her voice an octave higher. The four of them gather around the jar containing the flaming black fire. Dread and fear surrounded them, none of them sure of what to do next. Keefe walked up to Sophie and held up her arm.

"Hey you okay?" He asked, concerned. Sophie nodded, trying to calm her nerves.

"Yeah, for now, let's get that thing to Soph. She'll probably know what to do –"

"What is that?" A voice boomed over them. They all turned to find Sir Donwell with a scowl on his face.

"Uh… what's what?" Sophie tried to stall. Immediately after she said that, she wanted to slap herself. She was really bad in these kind of situations. Sir Donwell frowned as he motioned to the bottle.

"Give that to me, I have to inform Sir Conley." He ordered. Sophie exchanged frightful glances with her friends. She shook her head.

"We really can't… we need it for our project…" Sophie stuttered. Sir Donwell narrowed his eyes as he raised his voice.

"Hand it over. NOW." He commanded sternly. Sophie stepped back and blocked the bottle from him.

"I really can't." Sophie responded, holding her stand.

"Don't defy your teacher's orders!" He shouted, pushing through them and grabbing the bottle. Fear escalated as Sophie tried to grab it back.

"Wait! Stop! Please you don't understand!" Sophie pleaded. Sir Donwell ignored her and started walking off. Sophie gritted her teeth as she mumbled a quick apology before tackling him. Sir Donwell called out in surprised, dropping the jar. Keefe sprung up and slid across the grass, barely catching it. He managed to give Sophie a wink. However, the jar was snatched away from him. Keefe looked up to find Sir Conley holding the jar with a perplexed and curious expression.

"What is going on here?" He asked, glancing at Sophie who had tackled Sir Donwell. She quickly got up and brushed off the dirt.

"Look, we can explain!" She cried out desperately. Sir Conley stopped her and frowned.

"There isn't anything to explain. It is completely disrespectful and unacceptable to knock down a teacher! All of you, detention." Sir Conley said, with a disappointed face. Sir Donwell, who recovered from the blow and was quite angry, took them all down the hall while Sir Conley left with the element.

"Now all of you sit down and don't talk." Sir Donwell roared before returning to his desk. They all sat down in a huff and Sophie couldn't keep her legs still. Her legs with jumping up and down as she fiddled with her hands anxiously. She couldn't help but feel angered and upset. Her mind was pacing frantically as she tapped her fingers impatiently against the table. She exchanged a worried look with all her friends. How where they going to get out of this mess? They had to get Ailementice now… or something bad might happen.

 _So what do we do now?_ Fitz transmitted to her. Sophie shrugged, her thoughts still frenetic.

 _I have no idea._ She transmitted back. She looked at all her friends, feeling helpless. Wait. Not all of them. An idea popped into Sophie's head as a sly smile grew on her face.

 _Wait, Fitz. I have a plan. We're going to need Dex and a distraction._

 **Yay let the fun begin! The next chapters are going to be a whole lot of action! Be prepared!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Guess whose done with her biggest tests! YEP MOI! AND READY TO WRITE NEW CHAPTERS! Thanks guys for patiently waiting, i know i don't update quite as often as some others may do, so thanks to all those people who wait so patiently for these updates! :) I LOVE YOU ALL! (Haha can't u tell I'm really happy?)**

 **THANKS SOOOOO MUCH TO MY NEW FOLLOWS AND FAVOURITERS JoySeph13, Hazelnut17, fluffybunnies13 AND PercabethIsMyOTP123!**

 **Keefster: Even tho ur review was really simple, i loved it! it made my day so thank you so much! i'm really glad its one of ur favorites, that literally means a lot to me!**

 **Selena202021: AWWW LOVE U AND I HOPE U DID GREAT ON UR EXAMS! Ur reviews r amazing to read don't worry! I'll love them no matter what u say on them… well unless it's something rude which I know will never happen bc u literally write the sweetest things! Thanks for taking the time to review! hope ur just as excited for this one too!**

 **xoYanaaa: :p i private message u too much lol, u think i still need to reply to ur review to let u know that ur an amazing person so of course i love when u review for me? bc… i'd say i gotten to know u pretty well and I'm sure by now u know how special ur reviews r soooooooooo yeah, i do know how u feel when i reviewed for u lol! But trust me, you'll like the ship of this story… hint hint!**

 **guest #1: sorry for making u wait, heres the next chapter! :)**

 **Sydney: ur time is coming soon! will u be appearing in this chapter? well we'll find out.. Let's see if i plan to stop the chapter right where ur character is introduced… maybe to slightly torture u into waiting for ur characters appearance in the next one? BUT OMG NO WAY U DRAW MY FANFIC!? DUDE I LOVE U WHAT THE HECK UR AMAZING! I'd love to see one, but since thats kind of impossible, could i ask u what scenes they are? so interested! i love it when people tell me this and ur review was seriously one of the most heart touching ones ever so i really appreciate u and love love love u thank you soon much! u seriously motivate me! And that praise was so honorable! HAHAHA BETTER THAN HARRY POTTER! U love to flatter me don't you! ;)**

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 **Sugarspice: I'M SOOO SORRY I MADE U WAIT! See i saw ur reviews and how u wanted updates and so i really wanted to write but i had to study for a big test but i kept seeing u review and i was like noooooo i must answer to her (i her that is….) request and i have to give her an update! like u literally made me want to update! so thx for pushing me there cuz i tried to get any time in to write! :)**

 **HI: Dude, don't apologize! I love how u love my story and tbh people like u who always pushes me on really make me work harder so let me THANK u instead! (::) cookie? :)**

 **thesuperawesomebookworm: yassssssss it's finally happening! is it me or it feels so weird to reply to u here cuz i just private message u now lol ;p**

 **Joyseph13: AWWW UR SWEET! u bring me joy, u know… like in ur username! lol ok.. wow…. i dont know if that a bad attempt or not but let's pretend it was lol! but anyways aww thx so much! that honestly made me giggle to myself for a good 5 minutes! I bet ur going to love the next few chapters or well until the very end because its now action time! And for the Dex story, i will probs start it after this story ends so it's still a little while buttttt I'll be looking forward to ur reviews ;)**

 **Sassy di Angelo: well it's okay that ur not a sophitz shipper cuz in the end… I'm sure u'll love the ship…. aheeeemmmm. ;) okay anyway… just so u know, u probs already saw my review on ur story but i have to say it again… i've always wanted to read ur story but i tried not to cuz of not reading never seen but i seriously respect u as a writer cuz ur so good and i was so happy when i saw that u reviewed! so thanks so so so soooooo much (for also being awesome)!**

 **ferntailwarriors: wait wait wait WHAT!? OMG SORRY BUT WHEN I HEAR THAT UR FRIENDS ALSO READ MY STORY AND THAT U ASK THEM TO TELL U WHAT IT WAS ABOUT SERIOUSLY MAKES ME CRY TEARS OF JOY! Tell ur friends thanks so much for reading and like i don't know everyone who reads my story obviously, so i can't actually personally thank all the people who i don't know who is reading this so please tell them that i seriously love them and it's not just me saying it, it's cuz knowing that people r actually taking the time to read this and liking it makes me so happy! sorry that was a bit sappy! but anyways, yayyayaya ur back! Let me reassure u something… I WILL NEVER DISCONTINUE THIS STORY…. EVER! So there is "no need to worry" ;) i promise that i will never do that… although my updates r a bit slow… just remember that! and about the inflicting… tbh that never came to mind but if u want an actual logical response i guess i can say that when ur put on the spot and is pressured, i guess the first thing u think of is not hurting a teacher. i mean, technically he is a teacher of the school and it's not like sophie wants anyone to get hurt. well she did tackle him but it wasn't really something that was painful, it was more of a shock. ahhhh but seriously never thought of that so props to u! but i guess thats how it turned out in the end, no biggie :)**

 **Sophitz Awesome: Look forward to more romance and excitement because ur in for the full ride now! ;)**

 **OMG: yeah… sorry bout that! like i'm honestly sorry for making u wait that long! honestly i was supposed to update this story during the second week of winter break but something came up so i wasn't able to and then the past other weeks i had to study for this major test so i'm really sorry. But most times i won't wait till 3 weeks to update, only at times when I'm really busy. so if i get to like 4 weeks, u can totally yell at me cuz tbh i would too! forgive me? ;***

 **Whew… done with replying to reviews… now on with the story!**

Chapter 16- Sophie's POV

 **(Might be a bit hard to read but italics are transmitting)**

 _DEX! DEX! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?_ Sophie tried transmitting. She could almost feel him cringed as he tried to respond.

 _Yeah… LOUD and CLEAR._ He thought back. Sophie could hear the sarcastic tone in his thoughts, making her lips turn up in a smile despite her whole terrifying situation.

 _Ok, let's cut to the chase. We found Ailementice_ — She transmitted before his thoughts interrupted her.

 _Oh that's great! Hurry up and get rid of it!_ Dex immediately told her. Sophie sighed.

 _That's the reason why i'm transmitting you… it was kind of snatched away… by_ —

 _WHAT!? SOPHIE!_ Dex's thoughts exploded in her brain. She flinched, receiving a snicker from Keefe and a worried look from Fitz.

 _That's exactly why I need you, Dex! Everyone's stuck in detention! Don't ask why, I'll explain later… it's a really long story. But it doesn't matter! Hurry up and get over here because we need a distraction!_ Sophie rushed, looking at the clock and watching the big hand tick as every second passed by. Even though he was probably still out in the courtyard, she could hear every jumbled up thought going through his mind.

W _hat do I have to do?! Ummm do I come up with an excuse or should I pull an alarm or…_ Dex rambled on and on before Sophie interrupted.

 _Actually, all I need you to do is to go get some of that sleeping potion you stored in Slurps and Burps and somehow get Sir Donwell to drink it._ Sophie simplified.

There was a pause from Dex before he agreed. He told Sophie to reach out to him in thirty minutes. She thanked him and exchanged a subtle thumbs up with her friends. She then sunk back into her chair and continued to stare at the clock. _Ok, thirty minutes… I can do this_ , Sophie assured herself. Time seemed to have slowed as each minute was torture. Her anxiety was eating away at her and finally she couldn't stand waiting anymore. Sophie decided to try to contact Soph and explain to her the situation.

 _WHAT?! Explain everything!_ Soph's voice echoed throughout Sophie's mind. Sophie took her time explaining and she head a sigh from Soph.

 _Got it, so has it been thirty minutes yet?_ Soph asked, her voice stern. Sophie glanced at the clock.

 _Five minutes left._ Sophie replied courtly.

Soph told her to contact Dex soon, before a loud crash came from outside the classroom. Sophie jumped, startled from the noise. Apparently Sir Donwell was too, as he flinched in his chair. He eyed the door before glaring at Sophie and her friends.

"Don't move or say a word, got it?" He roared as he opened the door and poked his head out. Sophie had butterflies in her stomach as she realize it must have been Dex's doing. She quickly transmitted to him.

 _Dex! Was that crash your doing?_

 _Yeah, don't worry it was supposed to be loud. I had to set up one of newest creations. It'll be activated in a second. Tell everyone to hold their breath once I say now._ Dec instructed. Sophie nodded but remembered he couldn't see her.

 _Okay, but what are you planning?_ She asked.

 _Just trust me, okay?_ He told her. Sophie sighed before agreeing. She told everyone else to get ready and they gave her a slight nod. Sir Donwell returned into the room, looking perplex and angry. He must have not seen anything suspicious, making Sophie wonder what the noise actually was. He sat down with a grunt and went back to reading something on his imparter. Sophie kept her mind concentrated on Dex's thoughts, waiting for his signal. After a minute he called out to her.

 _Now!_

She immediately transmitted everyone and plugged her nose. They copied her motions and stood out of their seats as a white translucent smoke filled the room. Sir Donwell jumped out of his seat, alert. His eyes popped out in surprise and soon a scowl found his mouth as he pointed a finger at Sophie.

"YOU! WHAT DID Yoouuu...?" His voice trailed off as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He slumped down on his desk, out cold. Sophie gave a nod to her friends and they ran out of the room. She took a deep breath as soon as they were safe and called out for Dex.

"Dex! Where are you?" She shouted. She yelped as she heard a bam from above. She looked up to see part of the ceiling tile has been removed. A second later, a blob of strawberry blonde hair popped out from the dark. Dex slipped out from above and landed smoothly on the ground. He gave them a triumphant smile. Sophie and the others just stared at him with their mouths open. After a moment of complete silence, Keefe slumped an arm around Dex and gave him a nudge on the head.

"Not bad Dexter! Teach me how to do that! I could use a hand for my next prank!" Keefe praised. Sophie giggled as Dex tried to get Keefe's arm off him, though she could tell he was actually happy on the inside. Fitz gave him a high five while Biana threw herself on him, her cheeks flushed. They all cheered for Dex. After celebrating for another minute, they headed off to meet with Soph. Sophie led the way and saw a similar girl standing in the far distance. Getting impatient, Sophie picked up her pace as she ran up to Soph.

"Hey, Soph!" Sophie called out. Soph turned around and that's when Sophie noticed. She was fading again. Soph had a fearful look on her face as Sophie came closer. Soph held her hands out, telling her to back away.

"Sophie, don't come closer!" She tried to warn. But it was too late. Sophie, who was puzzled, kept running closer to Soph, before a wave of amnesia hit her. Losing her balance, her vision blurred and her head spun. She collapsed on the ground, trying to keep herself sitting up.

"Foster!" She heard Keefe's voice call out to her in the distance. A buzz was ringing in her ears as she saw Soph move away from her though her blurry vision.

"Soph! Soph, what's going on?" Sophie croaked out, feeling her stomach churn.

"Sophie, don't worry, you're going to be alright!" Soph's voice sounded through Sophie's ears. She looked up, feeling confused and lost. What's going on? Why was she feeling so sick? It was too sudden and her brain was felt like it was being fried. She was losing her conscious fast and almost slipped away until a strong pair of arms wrapped around her.

"It's okay, Foster. Keep it together." Keefe's voice sooth her. She could hear the others shouting in panic and Soph's voice trying to explain. But the words turned into a jumbled mess. Was her mind breaking again? No, it felt different this time. It wasn't like her memories was tearing apart, it was the opposite. It felt like an overflow of memories was pushing their way into her brain, trying to fill the space already taken up by existing memories. The pain was almost unbearable as she gripped Keefe's arm for support. She grit her teeth and bit her tongue, wishing the pain to go away. Finally, it came to be too much for her and she had to let go.

"I can't." She mumbled in Keefe's ear as she surrendered herself to the darkness.

* * *

 _It was another memory. One that Sophie didn't recognize. It wasn't hers._

 _She opened her eyes to find Keefe sitting close to her. His arms pulled her closer as she rested her head against his shoulder. They were sitting on a huge flat rock in the middle of a lake, surrounded by a forest. The water sparkled, reflecting the bright sunlight. The sunlight streaked through the holes of leaves from the trees, creating blots of a warm yellow light and dancing shadows on the ground. It smelled like summer._

 _The air was silent, making it feel like it was just them two left in the world. Keefe's warmth was spreading in Sophie's body as her eyes got tired. It felt cozy and perfect._

 _But this never happened! Sophie's thought struck. Yet her body didn't respond. It was like her conscious was stuck in someone else's body and all she could do was watch though the lens of their eyes. Then Sophie remembered. This was similar to the other dream she had from when she was knocked out after saving Biana in the lost cities. But, in that dream she was watching the explosion and watching Soph trying to rescue Dex. So what was this? Sophie continued to watch the scene play out in front of her. She heard Keefe talking to her._

 _"_ _I didn't know the human world had places like this." Keefe said with amazement and awe. Sophie felt herself nod and laugh._

 _"_ _It's not as great as places in the Elvin world, but it was one of my favorite places to go to on vacation when I was still living with my human family. it's nice since no one's ever here. A place to ourselves." She said, closing her eyes. Keefe laughed as he stroked her hair softly._

 _"_ _Oh, and what were you thinking of us doing when we're alone?" Keefe asked playfully. Sophie giggled as she felt her cheeks flush. She looked at Keefe daringly and smiled micheviously._

 _"_ _Oh I think you know exactly what I want." She responded with her own playful tone. She saw his cheeks turn a bit red as he pulled her closer. her heart was racing and all she could see was his soft lips. They drew closer and closer._

 _His lips barely touched hers when the scene suddenly faded away._

 _Sophie shut her eyes and opened them to find a scene of many people crying. They were all standing in front of a small tree. Sophie frowned inside, as she started to realize she'd seen something similar before. The pieces kept coming back as she remembered her visit into the future. This exact row, the exact place. Then it hit her._

 _This was his funeral. Keefe's funeral. Sophie could feel the numbness in her body, but noticed not a single tear slipped out. She felt the pain in her heart, as if it was torn apart. The crying, the tree, the sadness, she wanted to get away. Her body moved, running out of the crowd. Sophie knew she was probably experiencing Soph's memories. But why?_

 _Sophie continued to watch as she ran to the farthest part of the Wanderling Woods and slumped up against a different tree. Sophie immediately recognized this one. This time, it was her own tree. Sophie felt herself weeping against it, grabbing onto the grass with a tight grip. It was then when a shadow stepped out and approached her. She looked up to find Fitz with a pained expression, his eyes watering as well. He sat silently next to her and embraced her in a tight hug as she cried into his chest. Sophie looked up at Fitz face and saw his mouth moving, but her sobs blocked his words out. She tried to calm herself as she opened her mouth._

 _"_ _Can you say that again?" She asked quietly. Fitz turned to look at her with longing, sad eyes as he opened his mouth again. But right before she could hear what he said, Sophie was once again swept away by darkness._

* * *

"Foster!" Keefe's voice cut through her sluggishness. She slightly opened an eye, blinking slowly. Feeling a bit foggy, she tried to sit up, having Keefe supporting her. As she examined her surroundings, she noticed that they weren't in the school courtyard anymore. Alarmed, she bolted upright and whipped her head around.

"Where am I?!" She cried out. Keefe shushed her gently and tried to calm her down.

"Don't worry, we're right behind the laboratory. Fitz and Biana are finding an entrance while Dex is creating some sort of device to help us hack into the cameras. Sophie nodded, trying to comprehend his words.

"Okay… where's Soph?" She asked.

"Right here." She heard a voice respond behind her. Sophie whipped around to find her leaning against a tree, sharpening a knife. Sophie frowned as she peered at the sharp weapon.

"Why do you have that? We're not _killing_ anyone, are we?" Sophie asked, her voice dangerously high and cautious. Soph rolled her eyes.

"Of course not… at least not unless we have to. It's just a safety precaution." She answered nonchalant. That did not reassure her at all. Sophie gave Keefe a look as he shrugged and smirked.

"Nothing bad will happen. We're just sneaking into one of the top achieved labs with a military based, highly protected security and a bunch of smart and wise elves whose been around for centuries who probably gained enough knowledge to know how to kill someone with some kind of magical potion they have in their labs and—"

"Keefe! Stop!" Sophie cried out, hitting him on the shoulder, trying to show her anger through her face. He laughed and bumped her shoulder.

"I'm only kidding… partially. Just relax, you have me!" Keefe smirked. Sophie shot him a glare before sighing and turning back to Soph who was being too quiet, suspiciously quiet. Sophie recalled the weird dream she had when she blocked out. Unlike last time, she remembered them.

"Soph, we need to talk." Sophie said, approaching her. Keefe looked at them, raising his eyebrow as he sensed a tension between them. When Soph didn't reply and kept on sharpening the knife, Sophie snatched it from her.

"Hey!" Soph called out, trying to grab it. Sophie kept it out of her reach before looking into her eyes.

"I said, we need to talk." Sophie repeated.

"Okay…" Soph said, avoiding Sophie's eye as if she knew what Sophie was going to ask.

"Why did I suddenly pass out when I was approaching you? You knew that I would, too. How?" Sophie questioned, narrowing her eyes. "That night when you were fading, you were hiding something. What is it? Tell us now." Sophie demanded. Soph still never looked at Sophie's eyes as she continued to sharpen the obsidian knife.

"I already did tell everyone." She said. Sophie's eyes widened as she spun round to look at Keefe.

"You knew?" She asked in utter disbelief. No wonder he wasn't worried when she awoke. She frowned at Keefe and gave him a look of betrayal. He brushed his hand through his golden hair and tried to make things light.

"Yeah, but she explained it when everyone was freaking out about you suddenly collapsing. I mean we were all worrying and she obviously didn't want to tell us it.. but she had no choice. It wasn't because she wanted to tell us and not you, trust me on that. Nobody really wanted to hear it." He explained with a hint of a sad look in his eyes. Sophie frowned.

"So then tell me now." She said, looking at the both of them. Soph sighed but stayed silent while Keefe looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I can't." He said, wincing as if it hurt him to keep it a secret from her. Sophie felt anger bubble in her blood.

"Well why not? Don't I deserve to know?" She asked, the volume of her voice raising. Keefe opened his mouth to answer but Soph cut him off.

"You're just not ready to hear it." Soph interjected. Sophie let out a disbelieving laugh.

"And why is that?" She asked, growing more impatient by the second. Soph sighed and turned away.

"You're mind just isn't ready yet. We can't have you break in the middle of this important mission. It's not even something you have to know. You'll find out eventually anyways." Soph responded.

"Well if I'm going to find out about it later, then why not just tell me now?" Sophie questioned, trying to keep her voice calm. Soph groaned.

"Because you're just not ready!" Soph shouted. Sophie flinched from the unexpected rise in volume but recovered. Her face grew hot as the anger boiled in her.

"Oh because you think I'm still weak enough to break? I don't need protecting! I'm stronger now! Why can't anybody just believe that! I'm not some damsel in distress who everyone needs to watch over!" Sophie yelled back. Keefe got up and tried to hold Sophie back from Soph.

"Woah there Foster. You don't want to go punching your future self, now do we?" Keefe tried to joke, but that only fueled Sophie's fire. She slapped Keefe's hand away and glared at him.

"Why are you on her side?! You think I'm not ready either, don't you!?" Sophie shouted. She prayed it wasn't true, but once she noticed that he wasn't going to deny it; his silence was his answer. Her heart broke as all the energy left her. She backed away and shook her head.

"Wow… I can't believe the guy I thought I liked doesn't even believe in me." Sophie gave a disbelieving smile, while shaking her head. Keefe was left shocked and speechless. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Sophie!" He called out to her as she started to leave. She gave him a disappointed look before walking off.

She walked along the outskirt of the building they were planning on breaking in. She tried calming her breath and slumped against the building. She looked up at the wide, everlasting sky. Why didn't anyone believe in her? Why did everyone think she was still weak? Did't she just tell them a few days ago? But they just don't believe in her! Some friends, she scoffed.

She was about to get back up before she noticed she still had the knife in her hand. She held it up, examining the weapon. It had rough edges but Sophie knew it could probably pierce into someone's heart if aimed properly. Just as she was about to touch the blade, she heard a voice.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Sophie yelped and dropped the knife, surprised. She glanced over to where she heard the voice to find a pretty girl around her age. Sophie's racing heart started to calm. _Oh good, it's only a girl_ , Sophie thought. But she was looking at Sophie suspiciously and that's when Sophie realized what the girl was wearing. Overtop her regular clothes, she had a lab coat with a name tag. Sydney. Sophie frowned as she came to a sudden understanding.

That wasn't some girl. She happened to be working at the lab that Sophie was about to steal from.

 **Okay guys… so not my best writing ever but I'm in a rush cuz i have this party i need to go to so sorry i also didn't get time to read over it. Hopefully there wasn't any big mistakes but yeah. Anyways exciting news!**

 **New story out! Sorry not the Dex one yet but one i'm collaborating with thesuperawesomebookworm! It's called Love Obscured and it's real interesting in my opinion (yes i know I'm biased) but check it out! Thanks all! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey Guys, sorry for the long wait! Tho I know you're probs not looking for excuses so let's just get down to the point. I'm going on a small exchange program so sadly, I won't be able to update for spring break.. and yes I know I'm always bad at updating so I deeply apologize for that! Also thanks to all of you for being so supportive of this story! Just felt like saying that!**

 **THANKS TO ClaryJace4ever, Swizzlespice, AND sparkie926 FOR FOLLOWING/ FAVORITING!**

 **Sassy di Angelo: Haha this chapter has more sokeefe too so look forward to that! Also, I'm so glad you're enjoying Love Obscured! We have some great ideas regarding that story! And thank you for also being awesome! :)**

 **JoySeph13: Haha yeah you might be disappointed since i haven't updated in a while.. whoops.. but the secret won't be revealed quite yet! Since of course, where would be the fun in that?**

 **Sugarspice: Yeah… i definitely need some reviewers to push me to write or i might end up forgetting about this story and be like crap! I still need to update! So thx for that lol and yesss she did admit it… buttttt that's only the beginning of their story… tho of course we still have Fitz… maybe… or maybe not?**

 **Swizzlespice: Awe thx! I definitely will! :)**

 **RTHE04: Haha thx! There's going to be a big twist at the end to so look forward to that!**

 **Guest: OMG AWWWW U R THE SWEETEST! I love it when my reviewers who have stayed with me tells me that my writing has improved and I love it when u love my writing bc i write it for being to enjoy it! And just having u telling me that makes me honestly so happy and i love u soo much rn! Hopefully this update will also bring ya joy! :) 3**

 **Keefster: tbh this chapter i feel is also a bit wish wash too soo yeah… but aw thx! And we'll just have to see what she does to Sydney! How will they react to each other.. hmmm guess you'll find out! And yeah.. my mac keeps on autocorrecting Dex to Dec.. its so annoying tbh but i dont know how to stop it!**

 **Hi: YAYYYY COOKIES! Haha for some reason i always feel like ur the one to give me cookies! not complaining tho cuz i love cookies! Woohoo! And yay finally updated! Sorry fr making you wait so long!**

 **xoYanaaa: Hey friend! Haha yeah tbh this chapter kind of was iffy… but hopefully u enjoy it! And the secret won't be revealed until… well until its necessary which u will see what i mean later… ha ;p**

 **Thesuperawesomebookworm: haha wow! ur enthusiasm for this chapter! but yes sokeefe moments forever woohoo! but wait… theres more! aha but ur going to find out what!**

 **ClaryJace4ever: Aw thx! Sorry didn't update as soon but thx for following/ favoriting! Hope this chapter is to ur liking! :)**

 **Sydney/ Guest?: So i wasn't sure but i think you also reviewed as a guest… based off the context of the review but YAAASSSS UR FINALLY INCLUDED IN THE STORY! I'm still working on the character development… not sure how her personality is going rn tbh… i really hope ur ok with the character… but omg just wait for what i have in store for u! Ur character may or may not have a thing for Fitz…. maybe thats good news… maybe its not but we'll see where this takes us!**

Chapter 17- Sophie's POV

Her breath shortened as if the world felt like it stopped time. Sophie felt like a deer caught in headlights. The pretty girl standing before her narrowed her big ocean blue eyes.

"Who are you?" She repeated. Sophie raised both of her hands and took a step away.

"I swear I'm not a bad person—" Sophie started.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" The girl pushed, annoyed and impatient. Sophie took in a shaky breath.

"Sophie, Sophie Foster." She answered, looking at the girl head on. The girl paused for a second; her face scrunched up in deep thought.

"That name sounds familiar… where have I heard it from?" She murmured to herself. The girl took a sigh and shook her head.

"Never mind that, why are you here? What do you want?" She asked, her voice still dangerously cold. Sophie tensed, trying to calm her nerves. What was she supposed to say in this sort of situation? _Oh hey, I'm here to steal one of the most dangerous elements of all time and save the world from the disastrous future ahead of us?_ Like that'll work. But it's not like she had a choice. She took a deep breath and fiddled with her fingers.

"Okay this is going to sound crazy—" Sophie began.

"Oh, I like crazy things. Try me." The girl spoke, smirking with confidence. Sophie hesitated before clearing her throat, and gave a brief summary of the encounter of her future self and the whole mission. The girl, surprisingly, listened closely and never once interrupted. When Sophie was done, the girl just nodded in deep thought.

"So… do you believe me?" Sophie asked, her nerves getting the best of her. The girl took a good look at Sophie before outstretching her hand.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I'm Sydney." The girl introduced herself. Sophie smiled, relieved, and shook her hand. Then, just as they pulled their hands apart, Sydney kicked the obsidian knife that was still lying on the ground and snatched it. With swift movement and sudden celerity, Sydney pinned Sophie against the wall and held the knife against her neck. Sophie didn't even have the chance to blink.

"As if I'd believe something as sketchy as that!" Sydney hissed. "Stealing from this lab is a huge crime. Make any sudden movements and I'll report you immediately. You'll be surprised on how fast I can take out my imparter." Sophie swallowed, unable to do anything in this position. She could always try inflicting, but wouldn't that make her appear more guilty if she was caught? Not only that, but she knew this girl had no ill intentions. In reality, Sophie _was_ technically committing a crime, even if it was to save the world. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for some sort of plan to develop her in mind. Just as she wished that, she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Sophie!" Fitz, Biana, and Dex came running in view. Sophie let out a breath of relief as she saw them getting closer. Sydney's eye's widened in surprise.

"What?! There's more of you!?" She cursed. Letting her guard down, Sophie shoved the girl to the side and jammed her elbow into Sydney's rib cage before running towards Fitz. Sophie grabbed onto his arm, feeling secured. Sydney bent over in pain, cursing and catching her breath. She pointed the knife at them while holding her bruised side.

"I'm not afraid to take you guys down one by one!" Sydney shouted, her voice never wavering.

"What? Does she think we're weak or something?" Dex grumbled. Fitz put a hand in front of Dex, blocking him from doing anything rash. Fitz then stepped closer, holding his hand out to show no harm.

"Look, we're not going to hurt you, or anybody here. We just need to take back something that was originally ours." Fitz replied smoothly. Sydney narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to retort back but suddenly her eyes widened in recognition. She pointed at Fitz with a shocked expression.

"Fitz… Vacker?" She stared in complete astonishment. Fitz raised an eyebrow, wondering how she knew him. Sydney immediately cleared her throat and stood straighter.

"I'm Sydney, I'm in your level. Your like _famous_ in school so everyone kind of knows you. I've never been in one of your classes though, so you probably don't know who I am. But wow… I can't believe I'm speaker to a Vacker right now!" It was like she turned into a complete different person. She had a slight blush across her cheeks, contrasting to her pale skin. Her ocean blue eyes lit up, making her appear more vibrant and pretty.

Fitz, unsure of how to react, gave an small smiled and scratched his head as Sydney fawned over him. He exchanged a look with Sophie, who almost found the situation amusing. One minute the girl tried to kill her and the next, she was falling head-over-heels with none other than Fitz Vacker. Dex leaned towards Sophie as he grumbled to her, "She's treating Fitz like a god or something." Sophie let out a small giggle before feeling as though they've wasted too much time. She coughed, trying to get Sydney's attention.

"Sydney, please, help us out. We need to get the element soon." Sophie reorganized herself. Sydney turned towards Sophie and frowned.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Sydney asked, sounding less threatening now. Sophie sighed.

"If you find out I'm lying later then you can call for backup or whatever, or call the councilors and I won't run away. Just please, trust me for now." Sophie willed. Sydney didn't look convinced. Luckily, Fitz had Sophie covered.

"Look Sydney, we really need you to cooperate with us. I swear, we're just trying to save the world. If we're mistaken, then punish us later, but for right now we need to go, or we'll all die." Fitz spoke with undying confidence. His eyes flamed with determination and he stood tall. Sydney paused at his words, staring into his eyes as if they'd tell her if he's lying or not. Finally she slowly nods her head.

"Fine. But I'm keeping the knife." She agrees, flipping the knife in her hand. She turns her attention back to Sophie and Dex. "So what do you need?" Sophie points to the large building, inspecting it all the while.

"We need a way in. One where we'll run into no one and that it'll lead us to the element." Sophie answered. Sydney thought for a second before nodding.

"Well… there is a way to get in where no one would find us… though, let's just say it's definitely not a pleasant way to go in." Sydney warned. Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She asked, curious. Sydney shrugged.

"Just that it's going to involve swimming and a whole lot of dirt and mud." Sydney concluded. Sophie exchanged a hesitant look with Dex and Fitz as she faced Sydney. Sighing, Sophie nodded.

"Sure, whatever. As long as we get to Ailementice." Sydney flashed a mischievous smile.

"Oh this is going to be fun." She smirked, cocking her head. "C'mon, follow me, I'll show you the way."

"Wait, we still need to find the others!" Biana suddenly interrupted, blinking in and causing everyone to jump.

"Gosh, you scared me! I almost forgot you were with us!" Dex shouted, putting a hand on his thumping heart. Biana gave him the stink-eye before linking her arms with Sophie.

"Let's go get Keefe and Soph!" Biana said, dragging Sophie along. Sophie felt her heart ache. The reason she stormed off in the first place was because she didn't want to be with them, especially after all that happened. She was still bitter about the secret everyone was hiding from her. _Wait_.

Sophie stopped in her tracks as a thought occurred to her. It wasn't just Keefe that knew the secret. Everyone did. Meaning… Sophie's brown eyes slid across her friends' faces. She frowned. They were all technically hiding the secret from her. Biana looked back at Sophie, noticing she stopped. She cocked her head to the side in a questioning way.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Sophie wasn't sure if she should ask. Honestly, she didn't want to start another scene, since she already got in a fight with Keefe. Sighing and shaking her head, she pulled on a fake smile.

"Nothing, let's go."

* * *

They found Soph and Keefe where they left them. They looked as if they were in deep conversation, talking in low voices with serious expressions on. Sophie felt herself shy away the closer she approached Keefe. This was the first time they had actually gotten into a fight. Not to mention, she practically confessed her feelings to him. _Wait_.

Confessed her feelings to him? Did she see Keefe in that way? She was mad at the time so it just happened to come out of her mouth but… Sophie snuck a glance at Fitz. She couldn't deny the fact that Fitz also made her heart pound. Sophie shook her head and almost slapped herself. She was acting like a child. There's no time to worry about her love life when she might not be even live long enough to see it. And Keefe… he's not even alive in Soph's future either. The thought crushed Sophie's heart. She couldn't imagine living in a world where Keefe wasn't alive. One where he wasn't teasing her or telling her his most recent prank.

Sophie looked up at Keefe to find him staring at her. Her heart almost stopped as he immediately got up and ran to her. He reached for her hand and yanked her into an embrace. She yelped in surprise, feeling the blush rise on her cheeks.

"Keefe… let go!" She yelled, feeling embarrassed. He was hugging her in front of everyone! She tried to wrestle her way out of his embrace, but he tightened his arms around her, keeping her trapped in his warmth. He buried his face in her hair, she felt as if he was in pain.

"Don't _ever_ do that again, Sophie." He said, his voice shaking a bit. Sophie stopped her struggling and could only stand still. He sounded like a small child who just needed someone to be there for him. "When you ran off and didn't come back, I got so scared. When you weren't by my side, I felt anxious. Sophie, I beg you, please don't do that again." His voice quavered and he was slightly shaking. Sophie was silenced by this, not knowing how to reply. Slowly, she raised her arms and wrapped them around him.

"Sorry… I won't do it again. Promise." Sophie whispered softly. He squeezed her quickly and finally let her go. Immediately she missed his warmth, but was embarrassed enough. It seemed Keefe's little facade was left unguarded too, since a small blush grew on cheeks. Sophie let a small smile grow on her face. Even Keefe could feel embarrassed, that's surprising.

"Keefe, you're so cute." She laughed. Keefe's face reddened even more. It was so cute. It was kind of refreshing too. Keefe was never really expressed his true emotions. When he's upset, he tries to cover it up. When he's embarrassed, he tries to make a joke out of it. There's never a time where he's let his cover go and fully express his emotions. But right here, was the real Keefe. One without the facade and cover. It was Keefe. A blushing, embarrassed elf who Sophie couldn't take her eyes off.

"Shut up…" He groaned. He let out an embarrassed laugh and covered his face. "So not looking cool right now." Sophie chuckled.

"Really? You look the coolest right now than ever to me." Sophie genuinely admitted. Keefe looked taken back from her words but soon a grin grew on his face. He let out a genuine laugh.

"Arn't I always the coolest in your vision?" He asked jokingly, wiggling his eyebrows. A blush crept upon her cheeks as Sophie lightly punched Keefe on his shoulders.

"Shut up. I never said that." Sophie whacked him again.

"Um not to interrupt you two love birds but… we've got some breaking-in to do." Sydney's voice snapped the two back into reality. Sophie's cheeks redden again as she created space between her and Keefe.

"Right, let's go." She said, giving Soph a long glance. Now that she thought about it, what were she and Keefe talking about earlier? She noted to herself to ask that later. Now, they had more important things to deal with.

They walked in a group, following behind Sydney's lead, who, by the way, was chattering excitingly and nonstop to Fitz. He didn't seem to mind that much, surprisingly. In fact, he almost looked like he found her interesting. Sophie walked along side Soph, staying behind the rest of the group. It was a bit awkward between them, and they never mentioned the topic of the secret since Sophie's outburst. They walked side by side in silence, neither having much to say. Finally, Sophie couldn't take it anymore. She had to ask.

"What were you and Keefe talking about back there?" Sophie asked. Soph paused to look at Sophie before staring straight ahead again.

"Nothing important." She murmured. Sophie sighed.

"Are we really doing this again?"

"Doing what?" Soph snapped defensively.

"This! Going back to the way we were. The time when you never told me anything and I was always left clueless." Once again, they both fell silent. Finally Soph sighed.

"It was really nothing. We were talking about the future and whatnot." She answered.

"Like what?" Sophie pushed. Soph narrowed her eyes at Sophie before looking back.

"My love life."

 _Oh_. _Ouch_. _Okay_. Sophie thought. She thought back to her and Soph's conversation before on whether she would choose Keefe instead of Fitz if he never died. Now, Sophie wanted to ask that more than ever. But before she could, Sydney's voice sounded through and she noticed that the group stopped.

"So here, is where it gets tricky." Sydney spoke. She pointed to a lake behind the lab. "Down there, there's a tunnel that leads into the lab, but it's not as easy as you think. You're going to have to hold your breath for a long time and its really deep. Think you can swim?"

Everyone nodded their heads. Only Sophie felt a bit worried.

"How do you even know about this?" Sophie asked. Sydney flashed a grin and gave a thumps up.

"My dad owns the lab, it's practically my home since I help out here after school everyday. Not to mention, I saw the blueprints of the architecture of this building. Got to say, it's pretty useful." She answered proudly. She turns back to the lake.

"You guys ready?" She asked again. Sophie bit her lip and reached up to pull an eyelash before a hand stopped her. It was Keefe. He took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring smile. It somehow gave her courage. She breathed in and out deeply, calming her nerves.

"Yeah I am." And her hand never let go of his.

 **Tbh this was an iffy chapter for me… i kind of forgot what this story was about cuz i haven't updated in a while butttt don't worry… i'll try to get back into my groove! No need to worry! ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Finally done with this chapter! I'm so sorry for making you guys wait for an extremely long time. I just had a lot going on but I feel really bad for leaving you guys hanging… so I really do apologize for that! Since it's been a long time, the replies will be shorter!**

 **THANKS TO CheshireKitCat FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVOURITING!**

 **RTHE04: Sorry still haven't read it, tho i did read the preview thing! I know you're probs thinking of the sewer part i think… and where they rode something underwater? But nah mine is different than that!**

 **Xylia Neo: Oooooo i can't believe you're no longer a Sokeefe shipper anymore! But I still don't really know who Tam is…. so I can't really ship Sam lol. I ship everything tbh :$**

 **Saasy di Angelo: haha thx! Glad you like the Sokeefe part! Not really much in this one but more will come!**

 **xoYanaaa: Yep finally updated! Yeah i really thought the real keefe part would make you fangirl just a bit ;)**

 **Sydney: You'll still have to wait for your special ability to be revealed ;p i'll keep you hanging with ur character!**

 **Guest: …. hahaha u totally found out what my weakness was! I'm terrible at keeping consistent with the past and present! I always make that mistake! Thx for catching that! Also it really touched me for saying that this was your favorite! Sorry for making you wait so long! Hope you keep reading! :)**

 **Guest: I wont kill Keefe off, don't worry! :)**

 **Guest: haha now you have chapter 18 to read!**

 **SooperSecreteMys: finally did! enjoy the chapter!**

 **Ninja Lady: SOKEEFE WOOHOO! i share ur enthusiasm!**

 **Sydney Adams: Yeah… sorrrryyyyyy bout that… i needed a way to get Sydney to not attack Sophie and i kind of blanked a bit? Forgive me? ;)**

 **Random: I'm sorry! Pls forgive my terribleness at updating!**

 **Guest: yeahhhhhh this story was written before that book came out so in my mind… just gonna say this was a side story that happened before never seen lol! ;p**

 **Lyrain: The first part scared me for a second but then i read it and was like ohhhh haha! Thanks so much and an epilogue? I can but I'm not really sure on what you mean? Like a story about this story after i finish this story?**

 **Guest: Yeah it has been forever… I'm sorry I'm so bad at updating! I'll try harder to update this summer!**

 **Okay I think that was all! Thanks again for the support for this story and I'll definitely try my best to update more frequently! Also heads up… this chapter will be more action like i guess and another thing.. i didn't really read it over cuz i wanted to post it ASAP! Thx! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 18- Sophie's POV

 _She was drowning_. That was the first thought that came into Sophie's mind as she restrained herself from losing conscience. Sophie's lungs burned as she struggled to hold her breath. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that was telling her that she wasn't going to make it. And she believed it. She was surrounded by murky water and long grass growing at the bottom of the pond. It wasn't helping her case when she got separated from her friends by getting lost in the sea of grass. She was running out of breath and there was no way of resurfacing. She and the others were already under the lab and the tunnel they swam through was endless.

Sophie couldn't hold her breath anymore. The pressure against her skull was too much. She let it go and soon she found herself silently choking on the water. Her nose burned as water seeped into her lungs and she clawed at her throat, trying to get air. She thrashed around but none of her friends were around her.

 ** _Help! Please help me!_** Sophie screamed in her head, hoping her friends were close enough to receive her weak telepathy link. Panic flew across her mind. Was she going to die here? Sophie felt her conscience fading. She couldn't hold on any longer. Sophie felt her brain shutting down and her organs malfunctioning. She stopped thrashing as she became limp in the water. Her eyes closed as her mind started to wander. As she drowned, words flashed crossed her mind; _I_ _failed_.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. No, she couldn't die here. Not like this. As a last survival effort, a sudden burst of energy surrounded her body and her mind felt free. She closed her eyes again as a low hum sounded in her right ear. Sophie flung her arms out and immediately she could feel the water around her push away with a sudden force. Sophie dropped to her knees, overthrown with a coughing fit. Her lungs were dying for the air that suddenly surrounded her. Finally, regaining full conscience, Sophie glanced up and drew back in surprise as she found herself in an air bubble.

Standing back on her feet, Sophie poked at the bubble. It bounced in a series of waves before calming down again. The surface tension held strong and Sophie could only stare at her hands in awe.

"Did I do this?" She muttered in amazement. She closed her palms in a tight fist as a smile grew on her face. "Telekinesis, huh?" There was no other explanation. Sophie smiled to herself. Training with Soph really pulled off. She would had never thought telekinesis could have been so useful. She wondered why Firefox Academy didn't have a real class for it. After this was all over, she'll definitely protest for one. First though, she'll have to survive through this, starting by finding her friends.

 ** _Sophie! Sophie where are you?_** She heard Fitz transmit in panic. Sophie spun around and tried to locate him. Pinpointing him and the others, she navigated her air bubble toward their direction.

 ** _I'm fine now! I'm here, I'm here!_** She transmitted. She could feel Fitz's relief as she drew closer. She finally spotted them. When they finally noticed her through their blurry vision, shock emerged on their faces. Even Soph seemed genuinely amazed. Sophie laughed at their expressions and started to imagine bubbles around her friends. Soon enough, they all had their own personal bubbles.

 ** _How did you do that?_** Fitz's voice asked through her head.

 ** _Telekinesis. Control your bubble with telekinesis._** She replied back to Fitz and transmitted to everyone else. They all nodded with huge grins. Dex, Keefe, and Biana all mouthed "this is so cool", making another laugh escape Sophie's mouth. She looked at Soph who gave her an approving nod. After the other's tested out their bubbles, they followed Sydney once more. After some time, they finally were able to resurface.

Sophie dispersed everyone's bubbles as they climbed out of the water. Dex helped Sophie out and gave her a cheeky smile. She returned it and surveyed their surroundings. In front of her was another dark tunnel. The flickering lights made it seem like it was abandoned. Sydney pointed towards it.

"We're almost there. That tunnel will lead us to the storage room next to where the element is being held." Sydney informed. Sophie nodded.

"Okay, lead the way." She said, gesturing for Sydney to continue. As they walked, their shadows would linger behind them, almost as if they were alive. There were no sounds other than the group's footsteps. The whole place just seemed creepy. Sophie gazed at Keefe and Fitz who were walking beside her. She felt really secured and comfortable with the both of them. Was she really going to have to chose between them?

 ** _It's not like you have a choice. Jeez, make up your mind! They can't both be your husband!_** Soph's voiced boomed into Sophie's head. Sophie's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. She gasped loudly and ended up choking on the sudden air. Both Keefe and Fitz gave her a weird look, surprised. Sophie blushed and glared at Soph.

"You okay there, Foster?" Keefe asked, sensing her embarrassment. He had a mischievous grin on. Sophie avoided his gaze, humiliated.

"Yeah, just fine." She muttered. Fitz gave her a concerned glance. Sophie waved her hand, telling them she was fine.

 ** _Could you pick between them, then?_** Sophie challenged Soph. She heard Soph sigh behind her.

 ** _I already did._** Soph transmitted back. Sophie rolled her eyes.

 ** _You know what I really mean._** Sophie retorted. Soph stayed silent, ending the short conversation. Sophie sighed. It was worth a try. Soon enough, the group reached the end of the hall and found a ladder leading up to a small hatch. They started climbing up one by one and Sydney pried open the hatch, disappearing as she squeezed through the opening.

"It's clear." Sydney called out from above. Sophie nodded to the rest of the group and climbed into the hatch. Everyone followed in after her. Sydney pulled Sophie on to her feet and she found them in a small closet-like room, filled with equipment and lab coats. It was the storage room, just like what Sydney said. The hatch was behind a few old cabinets, hiding it from plain sight. However, it was quite hard to climb over the cabinets without making a huge ruckus.

"Okay, once we open this door, we all have to stay out of sight from the lab workers. If we're spotted, we could be in serious trouble. The room that holds the element is locked. There's a code that even I don't know." Sydney said. Sophie shared a look with Dex who gave a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, I got this! But I'm going to need some things…" Dex frowned. Sydney rolled her eyes.

"Look around you Dex. There are plenty materials and tools lying around." Sydney waved her finger around with a sarcastic smile. Dex blushed at his stupidity. He scratched behind his ear.

"Right, forgot we were camping out in a storage room." He sighed before getting to work. Sophie moved towards the door and opened it a slight crack. She peeked out and and saw a closed off door. Luckily, there were huge glass windows that let Sophie see inside the lab room. Her eyes scanned the lab when the glowing black substance caught her eyes. She gasped.

"That's it!" Sophie exclaimed in a whisper. It was placed inside a protective glass case while the scientists analyzed it through advanced devices that could only be built by technopaths. Sophie counted at least 10 scientists in the room from where she could see, but no doubt there could be more. She could see that there were other labs nearby, meaning if they caused a huge disruption, the other elves could attack them. Sophie frowned. They would be fighting a battle against two fronts. Not good. Closing the storage door, Sophie glanced back at her friends.

"What's the plan?" Biana asked. Sophie pursed her lips and stared at the ground, trying to come up with some sort of division.

"From what I saw… we would have to have 2 groups. One that guards outside the lab and one that attempts to steal Ailementice." Sophie announced, Soph nodded in agreement.

"That would make sense. Having a defense and offense. But whose in what group?" Soph questioned. Sophie thought for a moment. Silence overcame the group.

"We could pick randomly." Sydney shrugged. Sophie shook her head.

"No… that wouldn't work. We have to come up with a precise plan. In the lab… there were some sort of devices that might control the box that contains Ailementice. We have to figure out a way to break open the box." Sophie said. Keefe cocked his head.

"Couldn't we just use a hammer?" Keefe asked. Sydney shook her head.

"No… that glass was made to withhold an explosion. A simple hammer won't be able to break it. Plus, that would be too loud, it would attract attention from the other labs. That's exactly what we _don't_ need." Sydney counter-argued. Fitz nodded.

"Sydney's right. We have to be quiet. Maybe even catch them by surprise. I think Soph and I should be on defense. That way, we could communicate with Sophie who'd be inside the lab." Fitz suggested. Sophie's eyes lit up.

"Yes! That would work! Soph could help detect if other scientists are coming and communicate with everyone!" Sophie exclaimed. Keefe gave a doubtful expression and lifted a finger.

"But wouldn't having just Fitz and Soph fend off who-knows-how-many scientists be too dangerous? I think there should be someone else to help out too." Keefe pondered.

"Then I'll go." Sydney spoke up. Everyone looked at her in surprise. She gave them a glare before confidently smiling. "I got a few tricks up my sleeve. Plus, I know some people I work at lab with. I can convince them that nothing's going on inside. Believe it or not, the people really look up to me here and they trust me. I've been here at the lab since I was little, remember?" Sydney persuaded. Sophie shrugged.

"I mean I guess that makes sense. But then couldn't you convince the scientists inside to give us the element?" Sophie wondered. Sydney snorted.

"No one would be insane enough to convince a group of curious and highly intelligent elves to give up a new element that they can't wait to experiment on. I would know." Sydney said. Sophie sighed.

"Didn't think it was going to be that easy." She frowned. "But back to opening the box… I think I'll take Dex and Biana with me inside." Biana grinned and pumped her hand in the air.

"Sweet! What do we get to do?" Biana asked excitedly.

"You know how I mentioned something about how these devices or machines controls the glass box?" Sophie paused as both Dex and Biana nodded. "Well, I need Dex to hack into it and figure out how to use it so we can open the box. Biana will vanish and sneak the element out, while I'll fight off the scientists." Sophie planned out.

"Woah woah wait." Keefe waved his arms in the air, making an X with them. Everyone turned their attention to him as he shook his head. He pointed at Sophie.

"You are _not_ going to fight a whole bunch of scientists without your sidekick are you?" Keefe smirked. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess. I'll have Keefe with me so that he'll save me when I'm in trouble?" She asked in a teasing tone. Keefe's eyes shone with mischievousness as he flashed a smile.

"Bingo! You got it right!" Keefe joked. Sophie rolled her eyes once more and let a cheeky grin slide on her face. Then, remembering to be serious, Sophie cleared her throat.

"Okay, so FItz, Soph, and Sydney will be outside the lab, keeping out the elves from other labs while Keefe, Dex, Biana, and I distract the scientists inside and steal the element. Right?" She recapped. The others nodded and Soph spoke up.

"Alright, let's go!" She leaded. Soph peered through the door crack and gave a thumbs up. She open the door a bit more before leaving the room altogether. Fitz and Sydney followed after her and wave for the rest to move along. Sophie nodded to her group before following the rest out.

"Dex, did you get the code ready?" Sophie whispered once they were all surrounding the small code pad next to the lab door. They crouched below so they wouldn't be spotted from the window. Dec fiddled around with the small device in his hands and finally held it up.

"Okay, this should do the trick!" He announced, throwing it onto the code pad. Immediately, the small round device opened up and took form of a spider-like cyborg. The little robot spider stuck onto the code pad and clicked the code pad in a sequential order. A few seconds later, the door opened up with a swift sound. No one moved for a moment as Sophie closed her eyes and counted.

"1… 2…. 3… Soph go!" Sophie yelled in a hoarse whisper as she, Keefe, Biana, and Dex dove into the lab room. Soph then set a telekinetic forcefield around the lab room, blocking the windows and door from anyone entering or leaving the room. On the inside of the lab, Sophie ducked behind a table alongside her friends. She peeked out from the edge before quickly ducking again.

"Dex, run to the machine on the left when I give you the signal." Sophie instructed. Dex nodded and Sophie closed her eyes to concentrate. There was a scientist occupying the machine and 3 others inspecting around the glass case. The 7 others were occupied with some other experiment. Sophie breathed in deeply before doing what Soph had been training her to do. She expanded her mind and imagined a target on each scientist. With a burst of energy, Sophie sent a train of terrible, painful experiences and inflicted each scientists with all the pain she endured. Once she heard the groaning pain from her targets, she flicked her hands at Dex.

"Go!" She yelled. Dex scrambled after the device while Biana blinked out and vanished. Sophie and Keefe shared a look before they ran out to protect Dex. Sophie saw one of the scientist had recovered from her infliction and was screaming at the others to stop Dex. He started to run towards Dex, but before he could, Sophie tackled him and sent them flying. They crashed into another table, knocking over some acids and liquids. The elf she crashed into looked almost like a normal college student. He had dark brown hair and stormy blue eyes. He tried to shove Sophie off. Sophie grabbed at his wrists and tried to inflict him again. But before she could, he grabbed onto one of her arms and suddenly Sophie screamed.

A cold feeling was spreading up her arm, causing her to call out in pain. She looked down in fear to see that the scientist had frosted her arm. He was a froster. Just as she tried to free herself from his grasp, Keefe shoved the froster and jammed his elbow into the froster's rib cage. The elf let go of her arm and cried out in agony. Sophie gave Keefe a thankful smile. He returned it but right behind him, Sophie saw a dark figure. She screamed out.

"Keefe! Behind you!" She held out her hand and an invisible force sent the figure flying. Keefe looked behind him at the unconscious scientist lying on the ground. His eyes grew wide as he whistled.

"Thanks, Foster!" He smirked. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Come on, help Dex." She ordered as she ducked right when she saw someone coming at her. Apparently they had a guster in the room; a sudden gust of wind blew at Sophie and pushed her to the ground. She crashed into a table behind her. Her head hit the edge and a sharp pain flared in the back of her skull. She groaned and felt the word swirl.

"Foster! Are you okay?" She heard Keefe yell from a distance. His voice was filled with worry. Sophie blinked her eyes open, and tried to stand. Her vision was a bit dazed but she tried to shake it off.

"I'm fine!" She replied. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Dex frantically typing on the keyboard next to the machine. Biana was beside him, blinking in and out every once in a while to attack a scientist. She was holding up pretty well on her on. Sophie prayed for Dex to hurry up. Every scientists they knocked down seemed to be getting back on their feet. Sophie tried to communicate with the team outside.

 _ **Hey! Is everything outside okay?**_ Sophie transmitted to Soph.

 ** _Yeah, everything is just great._** Soph replied, her voice dipped with sarcasm. **_Though telling Dex to speed it up would be really helpful!_**

Sophie frowned at Soph's tone. They were obviously having some trouble out there too. The noise from the lab must have sent an alarm to the rest of the labs. Sophie sighed as she made her way closer to Dex, inflicting a person every few minutes. She found herself next to Keefe as they fought back to back. It felt reassuring to have him next to her. She hid a small smile as she tried to concentrate.

 ** _Dex are you almost done?_** She sent Dex a telepathic message.

"Almost!" Dex yelled out, still focused on the screen of the machine. Sweat glistened across his forehead as he plugged in a cord.

"10%… 25%…" Dex muttered through his grit teeth. Sophie and Keefe were running out of energy. But the scientists didn't seem to ever stop coming at them. Sophie could feel her breath quicken as sweat dripped down her face.

 ** _Sophie, we're getting surrounded. They have us outnumbered._** Fitz transmitted. Sophie could hear the anxiety in his voice. She clenched her teeth, sneaking a glance at Dex.

Come on, Dex… any minute now. She prayed.

"89%…91%… 98%….100%! Biana go!" Dex screamed. Sophie turned her head to see another scientist diving for the case that was beginning to open. Sophie glanced frantically around the room for Biana.

"Wait, Dex! I'm not close enough!" Biana called out in panic. She blinked in after throwing down a scientist next to her. Sophie couldn't think anymore. It was all happening too fast. All she knew was that a scientist was too close to the jar holding the element. With all her might, she lifted one foot and had a portal appear. She only remembered doing it once, and it took all the energy from her. But now, she really couldn't let them lose the element again.

Sophie burst on her feet and threw herself into the portal. A second later she was right in front of the element and the scientist who was diving for it. With great celerity and a swift motion, Sophie snatched the jar in her hands. However, the scientists was already in the air, unable to stop himself. He rammed right into Sophie. The element slipped from her hands and it was as if time had slowed. Sophie's eyes widened in shock as the jar had escaped her grasp and was flying in the air.

"Noooo!" Sophie screamed. She outstretched her arm and reached for the jar. But, it was already out of her reach. She tumbled onto the ground with the scientist on top of her. The whole room was frozen in horror as they saw the jar hit the ground. The glass shattered and soon a wild black fire exploded out. The room erupted in widespread panic. The scientists cried out in fear.

"Don't let it spread to the acids!" One of them yelled. But it was too late. The acid that had previously spilled was slowly dripping closer to the spreading black flames. Within seconds, half the room had flared up into flames. Sophie froze with shock. Her brain screamed at her to run but her legs wouldn't listen. A sudden hand grabbed her arm.

"Sophie, we have to leave _now._ " Keefe spoke in a stern, calm tone. Though despite his calmness, his face was filled with dread and terror. Numbly, Sophie was pulled along by Keefe as she and her friends went to the door. Soph, Fitz, and Sydney were already in the room after hearing the explosion. Soph was dismayed, unable to even comprehend the destruction. Snapping out of it, she ordered everyone to hold onto her. Immediately, Soph opened the familiar void, leaving the rest of the lab running with no hope. Sophie was absolutely horrified by the sight. People were crying, pleading for help. Screams and panic spread throughout the lab. Soon all Sophie could see was fire. Then the group teleported out, leaving the rest to their death.

* * *

Sophie and the rest landed safely outside the lab on a nearby hill. They stared at the burning building in horror. They couldn't do anything but stand there and watch the building be destroyed. A sudden cry filled Sophie's ear. Sydney wailed as she tried to run towards the building. Fitz and Dex were restraining her but her face contorted with pain. She struggled against their restraint as tears poured down her face.

"Let me go! My dad's still in there! My dad is stuck in that building! Let me go! Let me go!" She crumpled to the ground, hunched over. She cried out with all she could, covering her eyes with her hands, shaking violently. Sophie felt sob form in her throat. Soon tears streamed down her cheeks. She fell to the ground next to Sydney. Numbly staring at her bruised hands, she gripped the grass. It all hit her at once. She had failed. They didn't make it. The future won't change. It was all over. Sophie could only whisper in terror.

"I failed. We're all going to die now."


	19. Chapter 19

**Heya guys! Happy 4th of July! So this chapter was super hard to write… i kind of got lost with it but I finally finished it! So hopefully u'll enjoy it!**

 **Margalitious: Aw that's really sweet! It means a lot to me, really! Im really glad u love my stories and I want you to enjoy this chapter too! Thanks for being patient with me and don't worry, I'll never stop writing!**

 **SophitzAwesome: Hahaha that's hilarious! I don't really know who Tam is but he sounds awesome! But don't worry, Keefe's not dead… yet ;p lol jk… maybe**

 **Xylia Neo: Oh haha it probs would, I mean Keefe did leave right? But yeah, my library doesn't have the copy so I'm still waiting sadly. But yay I'm glad you like the tragic scene! Thx for always reading my chapters too! It means a lot! :)**

 **Guest: haha thx! tho sorry i always make you wait for the update! But hey, new ones out now! Enjoy!**

 **RTHE04: haha u totally know my stories ;p it's like you read my mind or something… or maybe ur a genius? lol**

 **bookishgirl: yay u noticed! Yeah i tried to make it so the readers could tell that she had become stronger a bit! But yes, Sophie… OUR SOPHIE HAS FAILED… will she be able to fix that? Here's the update for u to find out! ;)**

 **Guest/ Sydney?: aw I'm really glad u asked me to put u in my story cuz otherwise, my story probs would't have happened the way it did. And so I'm actually really grateful for u! So i guess I have to thank you for my story! Sadly, Sydney was only mentioned in this chapter but next chapter, she'll play a bigger role!**

 **Guest: Hi! That's a really interesting plot! I actually really like it! But I don't think i can do it bc i actually plan on leaving the fandom after i finish this story and my collaboration one…. but i really like it so i hope someone else writes it! tho i think it would be best for you to write it cuz i feel like u really know what you want to do for it and so i feel like u could bring out the best in ur story! :)**

 **Guest: i never won a single award… that's amazing… ur probs this amazing writer that doesn't even know how awesome you r! But I'm flattered :) thats a really really really amazing compliment! especially since u won 10 awards! AMAZING! And i kind of already have a specific outline for my story so i don't think i can do that but still thx for suggesting it! I feel like ur really into my story and so therefor i have to say thank you! Cuz ur absolutely amazing :)**

 **addison foster: haha im glad u love this story! and don't worry, its not the end yet!**

Chapter 19- Sophie's POV

"Sophie!"

Someone was calling her. It sounded distant and muffled.

"Sophie!"

Here it was again. Sophie wanted to ignore it. She knew it was going to drag her into a harsh reality. The last thing she wanted was just that. She couldn't exactly remember what she was doing, but a fearful feeling engulfed her. Sophie rather stay in the dark than remember. Her mind felt blurred and numb as the memory was forced out of her brain.

"Sophie!"

Again. Sophie covered her ears in fear and frustration. Every time she heard her name being called, the memory started coming back. Her feelings of dread started coming back. Everything started coming back. Sophie pressed her hands harder to her ears, hoping it'll block out the voice. But it was to no prevail.

"Sophie!"

"Stop! Stop it!" Sophie cried. She could feel soft tears streaking down her cheeks. She could feel the warmth of another person's hand on hers, cupping her tight fists. Then, a different pair of hands held tightly onto her shoulders. In a sudden movement, her whole body was being shaken.

"Sophie! Snap out of it!" A boy yelled at her. Sophie blinked her eyes open. Dex's face appeared in her vision. On both sides of her, Fitz and Keefe gently held her hands and brought it down from her ears. They all looked at her with mix of concerned, relief and care. Soph stood by Sophie's side, tears in her eyes. She knelt down in front of Sophie and gave her a big hug. Sophie eye's widened in surprise.

"Sophie, don't ever do that again!" Soph cried. Her whole tough act had been wiped away as Soph held onto Sophie tightly. Sophie could only blink.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Sophie asked, confused. Then it hit her. She had failed. Sophie jolted up. "Wait, what about the lab?! Are the scientists okay?! Did the explosion spread?! Is there—" Soph's face fell, answering all of Sophie's question. Sophie's lip quivered. She was shaking violently.

"Sophie, listen to me. No matter what happens, do not force yourself to forget." Sophie gave a confused look. Then she realized that she was trying to forget this whole incident. Sophie looked down, feeling guilty.

"Sorry, I— I just—" Sophie trembled. Keefe pulled her into his embrace. His warmth spread through her body.

"It's okay, Sophie. It'll be alright." Keefe whispered, his face was pained. Sophie cried out in despair.

"They all died! Because of me… It's all my fault! I failed!" Sophie sobbed, burying her face into Keefe's shirt.

"Sophie, it's not your fault!" Fitz voice rang out. Fitz reached for Sophie's hand and wrapped his fingers around hers.

"Sophie, look at me." Fitz soothed. Sophie sniffled before turning to face Fitz. Her eyes met his and Fitz smiled. It wasn't his usual superstar smile though. It was genuine and full of love.

"It'll be alright. We'll find a way, ok? Believe in me." Fitz squeezed her hand softly. He gave her a reassuring nod. Then finally taking a deep breath, Sophie slowly got to her feet. Quickly wiping her tears away, she looked Soph straight in the eye with full determination. She had to stay strong.

"So what do I have to do?" Sophie asked. Her voice never wavered, despite the fact that she wanted to duck and hide. Soph looked proud of her for a moment before returning back to her serious self.

"Sophie, I think it's time you learn how to teleport back into the past. Don't you think?" Soph casually said, as if it was a normal question. The whole group was silent in shock. Soph looked around at their blank faces and smirked.

"What? It's not impossible. How do you think I got here?" Soph glanced at them. Sophie pursed her lips in a tight line.

"Wouldn't I become a separate person like you did?" Sophie questioned worriedly, feeling weird for even asking. Soph shook her head.

"If you teleport back within 24 hours, you'll be back where you were in the past, without having another Sophie. You'll also still have memories of the future and anyone else who teleports back with you." Soph explained. Sophie still was hesitant.

"But weren't you a few years older than me when you first teleported back?" Sophie inquired, doubting herself. She wasn't sure she had the skills to do it. Especially since she didn't want anything to go wrong. Soph frowned.

"Sophie, look around you. There's nothing to lose. Nothing could be more wrong than this future." Soph spoke, her voice hard. Sophie looked down at her feet.

"I just don't know if I can do it…" Sophie whispered under her breath. Soph finally lost her patience.

"Are you really saying this now?! And here I thought you had finally matured a bit. But no matter how hard I train you, you'll never be strong enough, will you? Sophie, you have to save the world. It can only be you! Get your crap together and suck it up! Didn't you ever think how scared I was? How much I suffered just to see the moment when my past self would save the future that I couldn't?! I don't even have much time left!" Soph chocked on the last sentence. She quickly turned her head away from the group. Sophie was frozen.

"Soph, what do you mean you don't have much time left?" Sophie asked, her voice wavering. Soph let out a shaky breath. She held out her hand, and Sophie gasped.

"You're fading again…" Sophie noticed, touching Soph's hand carefully. Sophia's head hung in sorrow. Everyone else looked away with sad expressions. Sophie looked at her friends.

"Did you guys know about this too?" Sophie asked. Her friends nodded.

"When you suddenly fainted before, we all knew Soph knew why. So she explained how her memories were somehow being transferred to your memory." Dex responded. Sophie recalled the dreams and visions she had before. It made sense now. But soon a question popped into her head.

"Wait, but why?"

"Sophie, have you ever wondered… what would happen to my future— to me— when you changed your future?" Soph asked quietly. Realization slowly crept up on Sophie. Her big eyes widened from the sudden blow. Sophie covered her mouth with her hands, horrified.

"You're disappearing." Sophie said. Saying it out loud made it real— confirming it. No one spoke a single word. Soph looked at Sophie and offered a sad smile.

"I was prepared for it since the very beginning." Soph took a breath and spun around. She faced the group with a persistent look. "That's why Sophie, I can't teleport us back anymore. I'm running out of strength. But before I fade, I want to see the happy ending that I never got. So please, do this for our future, for you… and for me." Sophie held Soph's fading hand and nodded.

"Okay, I'll try." Sophie turned around and tried to concentrate. She remembered to when she had last fast teleported. It still took a lot out of her. But this time, not only would she have to summon the teleporting void, but also command it to go back into the past. That was completely unheard of. Though teleporting was once impossible too, until Sophie had made it possible. So she just had to believe in herself. If Soph could do it, she could too. They were the same person.

Gathering up her courage, Sophie took a deep breath and imagined sitting in the detention room again. That was the only time Sophie could clearly vision at the moment.

 _Come on, I can do this! Come on!_ Sophie called out in her head. A moment later, Sophie opened her eyes. No magic portal had appeared. It didn't work. Disappointment was clearly expressed on her face. She clenched onto the ends of her cape. Keefe put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, try again." Keefe encouraged. Sophie looked at him reluctantly. He flashed a dazzling smile at her and gave a thumps up. A giggle escaped her mouth and she took another breath. Sophie closed her eyes once more. This time she imagined herself diving off a cliff into the empty void leading her back to the past. Once again, she opened her eyes to nothing. Sophie was starting to get frustrated. She tried a few more times before feeling like an idiot. She threw her arms up in frustration.

"It's not working!" She shouted, exasperated. Her friends looked at her with worried glances. They tried to be reassuring, but Sophie knew they were just as disappointed as she was. Not to mention, Soph was starting to fade faster. Her hand was transparent and almost invisible. That only added more pressure for Sophie. Sighing she held her hands out to try again. But after a few more fails, Sophie wanted to give up. It just seemed impossible for her right now. Soph was much older when she first teleported through time. Maybe she just wasn't strong enough. Sophie grew more aggravated.

"Why? Why isn't this working?!" Sophie yelled out. Her head felt fried as she tried to concentrate again, like her brain was in a microwave. She breathed in.

"Please work, please work, please work…" Sophie mumbled like a chant. When she opened her eyes to find it didn't work again, she lost it. Tears sprung in her eyes. She fell to the ground, slamming her fists on the hard terrain. Her friends surrounded her in a flash.

"Sophie, it's okay. We still have time." Biana tried to reason. But despite her best friend's effort to cheer her up, Sophie lashed out.

"We don't have time!" Sophie snapped. "That's why I have to do this! If I don't we're all going to die!"

"Sophie, you need to calm down. Yelling at Biana won't help save the future." Dex stated. Sophie grew more agitated by the second.

"Guys stop. You're only making this worse for her." Keefe said sternly. He could obviously sense Sophie's fury. Everyone became silent as Keefe knelt down next to Sophie.

"Sophie, maybe you should rest for a bit?" He asked in a gentle voice. Sophie shook her head.

"There's no time for that." Sophie argued.

"No, Keefe's right. You're exhausted and haven't had proper rest. You've been through a lot. We all have." Fitz referred to everyone as he agreed with Keefe. He walked up to Sophie and pulled on her arm, lifting her to her feet.

"Come on, we can all go to my house." Fitz continued without allowing Sophie to speak. She tried to argue, but Fitz pulled her along with him. He held his light leaping crystal towards the sky and the next moment they were gone.

* * *

Everyone was camping out in the Vacker's living room. Fortunately, Alden and Della were both out that night, sparing an explanation for the sudden mass sleepover. Fitz and Biana had set up several sleeping bags for everyone, including one for Sydney who had tagged along, refusing to go home.

It wasn't even that late, but soon everyone was asleep, all except Sophie. She was too worried to sleep. She kept on trying to think of a way to teleport back, but no ideas came to mind. Stress started building up in her again. Her eyes began to water as she tried to hold back her tears. She heard Keefe, who was sleeping next to her, shuffle around in his blankets. She became still, now aware of his presence.

"You don't have to be so nervous, Sophie." He suddenly spoke, surprising Sophie. Her face reddened, though thankfully it was too dark to see. Her heart thumped against her chest rapidly. She brought her covers over her face. She turned her body away from him.

"I thought you were asleep." She whispered back, still slightly embarrassed. She heard him yawn.

"I was. But your stress levels kept on interfering with my beauty sleep." Keefe joked. Sophie kept silent. Keefe sighed and Sophie could feel him turning her way.

"You know Sophie, you always keep your worries to yourself. Always trying to stay strong by yourself. But don't you know? You have friends for a reason. You should rely on us. On me." Keefe spoke quietly. Sophie stayed still, shocked. Her heart was pounding, ready to burst.

"Sophie, turn this way." Keefe whispered in soft voice. Sophie obeyed and found herself face to face with Keefe. Their face were only inches apart. She could feel his soft breathing.

"You're blushing." Keefe laughed quietly. Sophie's face burned even more. Then she realized Keefe's face was slightly red along his cheeks. Sophie poked his cheeks.

"Keefe, you're blushing too, you know." Sophie giggled. Keefe looked surprised, then averted his gaze. He grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it.

"Only you can make me blush, Sophie." He mumbled so quietly that Sophie could barely catch it. But she did. She became quiet once again until Keefe's eyes met hers again.

"Sophie, everything will be alright. I have an idea and it might be really dangerous, but I need you to trust me, okay? Sophie, do you trust me?" Keefe asked. Sophie nodded and Keefe gave a small smile.

"Good, because I'll always be here for you. So you can rely on me and depend on me. Always." Keefe whispered. He moved closer to Sophie and she closed her eyes. A second later, she felt his soft lips on her forehead. Her heart was beating so fast and loud, she was scared he could hear it. Though, he could probably sense her giddiness. Keefe smiled at her and closed his eyes.

"We'll figure this out together so sleep Foster." He whispered in a soothing voice. His hands still held hers as they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Sophie, wake up!" Soph shook her hard. Sophie snapped her eyes open. It was still dark outside, but she could see a slight sliver of light shining from the horizon. Sophie looked over at the stirring Keefe. His hands were still intertwined with hers. Remembering the kiss on her forehead, Sophie became embarrassed. She let go of his hand and turned to Soph who was raising her eyebrows. Soph smirked for a second before focusing on Sophie.

"It's almost time. We have to figure this out fast. Help me wake everyone." Soph said. Sophie nodded and got up. After waking everyone, they headed out. Sophie walked alongside Keefe, remembering he had a plan.

"Keefe, what's your plan?" She asked. Keefe grinned.

"Diving off a cliff, obviously." He responded. Sophie stopped in her tracks.

"Wait, what?!" She exclaimed. Keefe started to explain.

"When you first teleported, you always had to jump off a high place, right? Even learning how to fast teleport, you had to start at a higher place. Maybe, that's just what you need to learn how to teleport back into time." Sophie gave Keefe an incredulous look.

"And if I can't, we'd be falling to our deaths!" She remarked. Keefe smirked.

"Yeah so therefore you'll succeed. Your survival instincts will kick in." Keefe said with full confidence. Sophie still was dubious.

"Keefe… I don't know…" Keefe shook his head and turned to look at her.

"You said you trusted me right?" Keefe asked. Sophie didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah…" She answered reluctantly.

"So trust me on this. Okay?" Keefe said, looking directly in her eyes. Sophie sighed.

"Okay." They told the others about their plan and everyone agreed, some more reluctant than others.

A moment later, Sophie found herself standing on the edge of a cliff. She gulped and looked at her friends. Everyone was holding hands, even Soph. Their lives all depended on this. Sophie looked down the endless black pit. If she couldn't do it, they'll fall to their deaths. If she didn't to it, they'll all end up dead anyways. Sophie breathed in. Falling to their deaths seemed better than to die slowly at least. She summoned all the courage left in her and immediately stepped off the edge.

The screams and shrills of her friends surrounded her, but they were almost comforting in a way. It reassured her that she wasn't alone in this. Then blocking out everything, Sophie started to imagine the exact seat she was sitting in for detention and the exact time she saw on the clock. She imagined where everyone else sat and what they were doing. Finally, she imagined a crack in the sky, taking them back there. In the next moment, a bright light engulfed Sophie's vision. A flash of memories and events overtook Sophie. Then it was gone, letting Sophie and her friends be sucked into darkness.

* * *

 _Tick. Tick. Tick._

Sophie opened her eyes to see herself sitting at a desk. Her friends sat around her, all looking around with wide eyes. Sir Donwell was seated at his desk, glancing up at them from time to time. Sure enough they were back in detention. Sophie's eyes glanced at the clock. It had the same exact time she had imagined while teleporting. A smile started to appear on her face as well as her friends. She did it! Sophie looked straight at the clock, feeling proud. She really did it!

This time, she'll fix the future. This time, it's her second chance to make things right.

 **Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I didn't read over it so hopefully there weren't a lot of mistakes… if there were… sorry for that! Until the next update! :) Happy 4th again!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi everyone! Future Self is almost coming to an end! After this chapter, there will be 2 more and then the end! I want to thank everyone who has supported me with this story and I know I'm not the best at updating so thanks for putting up with me too! I love you guys!**

 **THANKS TO Dolphin417, Strikestar, ThatsencenboyXD, TheNightWarrior410 FOR FOLLOWING/ FAVORITING! U GUYS ROCK! I love all your reviews too! :)**

 **Sassy di Angelo: that was a huge praise you just gave me and I'm so honored I literally don't know what to even say other than thank you. Ur comment made my day not going to lie and haha yeah there are a lot of deaths in this story aren't there? heehee oops. ;p**

 **margalitious: haha yeah… i tend to forget to add romance scenes to my chapters cuz i focus more on the plot… yikes i should work on that… oh wait I did! I hope u enjoy the romance scene in this chapter too ;)**

 **bookishgirl: omg omg omg i know! lolol she'll do it again, just wait ;p**

 **Strikestar: I like your review :) (and ur username)**

 **Guest: omg don't die the new chapter's here!**

 **Ninja Lady: yaaayyyyyyy you like my chapter! If u enjoyed the last one, i think u'll like the keefe in this one too**

 **TheNightWarrior410: that review was touching I'm not kidding, i might have squealed like a 5 year old when i read it! XD thank you so much! Haha and i wanted this story to touch ppl's heart so it had to be a bit heartbreaking! glad u liked it! Ummm… tho i'm not sure where Evelyn broke her ankle? Is that in my story? Is it sad that i dont know? :0**

 **DOLPHIN417: Its continuing with another chapter! here it is! tho its sad u lost ur account! But thanks so much! i hope u like this chapter and the last 2 ones after this!**

 **Emily Jacobs: dude no i completely side with u! it'd be amazing if they were real! tho honestly i'd totally go for Keefe! He's more my type…? *gushing with u! Oh and yeah I think Dex and Sophie could be a possible cute couple too! I think Dex is underrated! Like in my other fanfic with bookworm (love obscured), we had a Sox moment there cuz we thought they could be cute together too! And I'm listening dont worry :)**

 **ThatsencenboyXD: heyyyy i think u might really like this chapter and the next 2! I added some more romance anddddd the ship for this story is finally officially revealed! So the whole "I love you" wish from u was drilled into my brain and so i might have added something in the end for u…. but there will be more coming soon too ;) enjoy!**

 **Sydneyofthen: ur welcome! u finally find out ur character's special ability! hope you like it! AND OMG UR STORY! I READ ALL OF IT AND IT IS SO GOOD! U COULD BE A LEGIT WRITER! I ALREADY SHIP CODY AND SADIE AND OMG WHAT CAN I SAY, THIS STORY… I NEED MORE OF IT! Literally pls keep sending me updates on it! i love it! i've been wanting to read an awesome cute romance story and ur story is just the type for me! I'm really picky on books and us literally is so cute! i really want to know where the story goes and if they get away with running off together! :) keep up the amazing talent cuz u def have it!**

Chapter 20- Sophie's POV

It was only a matter of seconds until Dex initiated the escape plan they had done the first time. Sophie figured that since they all had their memories from the future, Dex would already be on his way to rescue everyone. So she and her friends sat restlessly, waiting for the signal.

 ** _Are you alright, Sophie?_** Sophie heard FItz's voice ring in her head. It was the 7th time he asked her for the past 30 minutes.

 ** _I'm fine, FItz. No need to worry._** Sophie cooed. Fitz flashed her a doubtful look.

 ** _Are you sure?_** Sophie sighed aloud and nodded in his direction.

 ** _Really Fitz, I'm fine._** She insisted. She rolled her eyes at what a worrywart Fitz was being.

 ** _I can't help but worry for you Sophie. When you fast teleported the first time, you collapsed out of exhaustion. Now you literally just traveled back in time! How can teleporting back in time not take as big as a toll than fast teleporting?_** Fitz questioned.

Sophie honestly wondered the same thing. But it wasn't worth to dwell on since they had more important things to figure out. Just as Sophie was about to tell Fitz that they'll ask Soph later, the classroom door swung open. Sophie was sure it was Dex, but was shocked to see Sydney standing in the doorway. She marched towards Sir Donwell with a straight face, not even acknowledging the rest.

"Yes, Ms. Adams? May I help you?" Sir Donwell grumbled, still grumpy from being tackled. Sophie and the rest waited for Sydney to respond, all wondering why she was even there. After all, Sophie and the others didn't meet Sydney until they got to the lab.

"Magnate Leto called for you to his office." Sydney announced, never breaking eye contact with Sir Donwell. Sir Donwell looked confused for a split second before sighing. He lifted himself slowly out of his seat and turned to Sophie and the others. He pointed a stern finger at them and spoke with complete authority.

"None of you leave this room when I'm gone, or there will be grave consequences." With that, he left the classroom. Sophie sat with her mouth gaped open. She stared at Sydney in shock. Where was Dex? Why was Sydney here? She wasn't here last time. This wasn't how it happened. A river of questions brooded Sophie's mind.

"Well, come on. There's no time to waste." Sydney rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. She smirked, enjoying the confused elves sitting before her. She sighed.

"After we flew into the time portal, I found myself sitting back in class. I was dumbfounded. But I realized there was no time to waste. So I decided to find you guys. And thank god I ran into Dex! He led me here to bust you guys out." Sydney explained. Then she cocked her head towards the door where Dex stuck his head out. He gave a slight wave before grinning.

"Easier than setting up that sleep bomb." Dex shrugged. Sophie let out a laugh before she thanked Sydney. They followed Sydney out of the classroom. While Sophie transmitted to Soph to meet them at the lab, her mind blurred for a split second. She shook it off as Sydney started to describe her new plan.

"So remember last time, we snuck in and just decided to go head on with the scientists? Well this time, we'll set the alarm before you guys go in. That way all the scientists would evacuate, leaving the element unguarded and free to take. Though of course, Dex would still need to hack the code." Sophie nodded in approval. She looked up at everyone and raised an eyebrow to see if anyone had anything else to suggest.

"I think that plan would work." Fitz agreed. Biana bobbed her head up and down excitedly.

"No, it _will_ work!" She smiled. "It's totally doable."

"And I already cracked the code before. So it's the same, meaning it'd be easier and faster for me to hack it." Dex calculated.

"Not to mention, no one would try to interfere." Keefe stated. Sophie smiled at her friends then turned back to Sydney and grabbed her hands.

"Your plan is perfect. We'll go with it!" Sophie finally said. Sydney grinned widely with pride. A slight blush appeared on her pale face. Her big ocean blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

"So then, what are we waiting for?" She held out her light crystal and held it to the sky. Everyone copied her movement and shouted out their destination. In a flash, they stood in front of the lab. Sydney turned to them.

"Ok, I'll set off the alarm. While I'm doing that, sneak in from the back door. It's the closest entrance to the element other than the secret passageway we took last time. Since everyone should have evacuated, no one should be there." Sydney instructed. "I can't go in with you though, or my dad would worry. He'd think I was still in the building when the alarm goes off and will probably send people to look for me. That's why, you guys will have to go on your own without me." She took out an illuminated, digital glass card. She held it out at Sophie.

"Use this card to get in the building. It has access to all rooms." Sophie took the card and looked at Sydney gratefully.

"Thank you, Sydney. You really helped us with all of this." Sydney smirked and held her hand up for a homie handshake. Sophie grinned and firmly gripped Sydney's hand. They shook on it and stepped back, laughing.

"Save the future, Sophie." As these last words left Sydney's mouth, she sent a short wave and left. The rest watched her running off until she was just a small dot. The group turned to face Sophie who was happy of her newfound friendship with Sydney. Maybe after this whole saving-the-world dilemma, she'd see Sydney around more often. With this thought, she waved her friends to follow her.

"Alright guys, let's go."

* * *

It wasn't hard to get in after Sydney sounded the alarm. That thing was loud. Sophie felt that even the human world could hear it. But just as Sydney said, the lab was completely abandoned after all the scientists left. The group followed Sydney's instructions and soon found themselves inside the element's room without any interruptions. Sophie frowned as Dex started cracking the code once again.

"This seems too easy, guys." Sophie mumbled, concerned and suspicious. She looked around the room cautiously. Keefe gave her a reassuring smirk.

"That just shows how good the plan is. Let's not ask for trouble."Keefe joked. Sophie eyeballed the lab door once more before laughing her worries away.

"You're right. Though in the books, something always happen." Sophie mentioned. Biana rolled her beautiful teal eyes.

"That's what happens in books. This is real life Sophie." Biana remarked. Sophie sighed and nodded.

"Yeah yeah, alright." Sophie surrendered. Sophie leaned back against the lab counter next to Fitz. A few minutes later, Dex had the case opened and the element was free to take. Sophie and her friends carefully grabbed the element and looked at one another.

"So we have the element, what exactly do we do with it?" Biana asked. The rest of the group stayed silent, all unsure of what to do.

"Well, we should probably get this to Soph— Wait." Sophie stopped in her tracks. Her face paled.

"What is it?" Keefe asked.

"Where is Soph? I told her to meet up with us in the lab. She should have been here by now." Sophie started to worry. Her mind paced with the worst case scenarios. Fitz put a calm hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure your mind reached her?" Dex asked. Sophie stared at the ground with scared eyes.

"I did. I felt her mind when I transmitted to her." Sophie answered. Fitz frowned, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Did she reply?" He questioned. Sophie opened her mouth to answer but suddenly hesitated. Then her eyes widened in realization.

"She didn't." Sophie mumbled to herself. The gears started turning in her head. When Sophie had tried to reach out to Soph, there was a fuzzy feeling, but it was so subtle that she didn't take any notice. Then it dwelled on Sophie.

"Something's wrong with Soph." Sophie concluded. She hugged the element tightly against her chest as a flush of fear overtook her body.

"We have to leave now." Sophie stated, her breath quickened as she thought of the worse. She was just about to teleport her friends away when she heard a loud bang against the door. Everyone turned their heads around to see that some of the scientists had returned.

"Shoot, they must have realized the alarm was false." Keefe cursed. The group prepared to leave but the lab door slide open and the scientists flooded in, crowding around them. Sophie got ready to attack when suddenly the crowd of scientists parted. That's when Sophie saw a familiar face in the crowd. Sydney was walking towards them along with a taller man, who Sophie assumed was her father. He had the same wise, ocean blue eyes and platinum blonde hair as her. He was dressed in a similar lab coat to the other scientists.

Sophie let out a breath of relief as she started reaching out towards Sydney. But before she could, Sydney stepped back and gave the group of friends a dark glare. She held her hands up at the group. Sophie and the others were shocked, they froze.

"Sydney, what are you doing?" Sophie asked, alarmed. The man gave a weird look at Sydney.

"You know these intruders?" He asked in a deep voice. Sydney gave the group a look over but shook her head and frowned.

"No father. They're probably from my school though." Sydney answered with no emotions. The others had their mouths gaped open.

"Sydney, what's with you?" Fitz spoke, confused. Sydney's face faltered for a moment, but quickly returned to the harsh glare. But this time, she stared straight into Sophie's eyes and mouthed a simple word: _Duck_.

In that moment, a flash of ice shards were shot at the group, though they were extremely easy to dodge. Sophie quickly glanced at Sydney who gave a slight wink before putting on her emotionless mask again. Right before Sydney made her next move, she mouthed another word, almost to quick for Sophie to comprehend: _Teleport_.

Sydney then threw her hands up and a sudden frost cloud filled the room, making it impossible to see around the thick mist. The group of friends huddled together and Sophie immediately teleported them away.

Once they escaped, the took a moment to recollect their thoughts.

"Unbelievable." Keefe muttered.

"Sydney's a froster. Did not see that one coming." Dex mumbled.

"She probably had to put up the act in front of her dad. Since, supposedly we were breaking and entering the lab that her dad owns." Fitz sighed.

"Yeah… she still saved our butts though. She could have actually hurt us since we were all so shocked. And if she didn't pretend to attack us, we might of been overruled by her dad and the other scientists." Biana said thoughtfully. Sophie nodded. She hope her dad won't blame Sydney for letting them get away. Sensing Sophie's distress, Keefe gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't worry. I'm able to recognize a strict parent anywhere and Sydney's dad doesn't seem like the guy to blame his precious daughter for anything." Keefe winked. Sophie gave a smile.

"Alright, we'll just have to thank her later. But now, we need to find Soph ASAP." Sophie said, hugging the element in her arms. The rest nodded and stood up. Sophie closed her eyes and attempted to find Soph with her telepathy. If anyone, Sophie should be able to track down her own self.

In a matter of minutes, she did. She felt Soph's mind though it was blurred and fuzzy. Sophie could feel the sense of dread emitting in Soph's mind. Sophie turned to her friends.

"She's close." Sophie said, already leading the way. Rushing, Sophie could feel her legs moving faster by the step. Soon she was running, burning with adrenaline. Her heart thumped. The closer she got to Soph, the more she could feel her future self's emotions. She felt like an empath. When they finally got to Soph, Sophie was horrified to see Soph's whole body becoming translucent.

Soph was bent over on the ground, her face filled with fear. Sophie snapped out of her shock and quickly ran over to Soph's side.

"It's happening!" Soph cried. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes full of worry.

"What is?" Sophie asked, scared to know the answer.

"The future changed. Meaning I don't exist. Meaning… I'm dying."

Dreadful silence flooded the group. No one knew what to say to comfort Sophie's future self. Sophie's heart froze. She had came close to death many times before, and it always brought a fearful feeling. Though each time, Sophie was able to escape it and had hope to continue living. But for Soph to know she was going to disappear and there was no hope to stop it, it was cruel. It was a harsh and cruel reality.

Sophie's eyes felt damp as slow tears started to form. Even though, Sophie knew she wouldn't be able to feel Soph, she still wrapped her arms around Soph. The two hugged and cried as the others started tearing up. Keefe looked away, pained to bear the terrible fate waited upon Soph. Fitz stared hard at the ground as Biana sat next to Sophie, putting a hand on her. Dex sat on the other side of Sophie and did the same. After a moment, Soph shook her head and wiped at her tears. She forced herself to rise as she turned to face Sophie. Soph pointed at the element.

"You're not done yet. You have to teleport that thing away so it will never be reached ever again." Soph ordered. Sophie could tell how hard Soph was trying to keep her act together. Her hand was shaking and her eyes seemed petrified and dead at the same time. Sophie nodded.

"But where do I…" Sophie started to ask. But looking at the fading Soph, Sophie knew her answer. Looking Soph in the eye, Sophie spoke.

"I'll be back, and you'll be here when I come back." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. The corners of Soph mouth slightly turned up as she nodded. Sophie turned to her friends.

"I'll be back in a sec." Still holding on to the element, Sophie commanded a portal to open. As soon as the void opened, Sophie imagined standing in the destroyed elvin world that was engulfed with an everlasting black flame, back in front of the only tree she could remember with flawless detail.

Right as she stepped in, someone latched onto her hand and went in with her to the bleak future that would no longer exist.

* * *

There it stood. Tall, proud, but sad. Shining yellow leaves dipped with an icy blue color hid the branches from sight. Beautiful. Tragic.

"Is that mine?" A soft voice came from beside her. Sophie glanced to her side and found Keefe staring at his own tree with lost eyes. His hand was still tightly wrapped around hers. Sophie looked back at the tree with mixed feelings. The sun seemed to shine directly onto it, making it look more magical. Sophie squeezed Keefe's hand.

"Yeah." She whispered. Sophie leaned closer to Keefe until their shoulders touched. They stood there for a while in silence before Sophie walked up to Keefe's tree. She placed her hand on the bark. She gave it a small kiss before turning back to Keefe, who had wide, surprised eyes. In the next second, he was completely flustered. He brought his hand up to his mouth and covered it. His cheeks were tinted in a light pink color.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked quietly. Sophie gave a small smile.

"Think of it as a blessing, for our new future." Sophie looked at the forbidden element in her arm. She linked hands with Keefe once again and lead him to another tree. She stepped aside to let Keefe read the name plate. His eyes widened as he glanced up at Sophie. She gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I saw Grady die." She whispered. Keefe stayed silent as she continued. "He wasn't the first to die, but he was the first victim." She kneeled down and placed the jar under Grady's tree.

"Like this, it'll fade away. Disappear forever, like Soph, like this future." Sophie stared at the element that brought so much suffering and pain. It's over now. A small squeeze from Keefe gave Sophie enough motivation to move away from her dad's tree. They continued down the row of trees when she stopped at hers.

"It grew." keefe noticed. Sophie let out a small laugh.

"Yeah. It did." Sophie responded. Her's and Dex's tree stood beside each other in peaceful harmony. Sophie's mind flashed back the future Dex, still stuck in a endless coma. She thought of the present Dex, always arguing with Fitz, blushing with Biana, and supporting Sophie. She was glad that this future would be gone but strangely, she felt a pang of sadness.

"It's okay, Sophie." Keefe spoke quietly. Sophie pulled on his hand.

"Can we stay here just a little bit longer?" Sophie asked, still staring at her tree. She thought of Soph disappearing. The brutal reality she'll have to face when she returns. It was weird to see herself fade. To comfort her own self who was scared of dying. She felt what Soph felt. The fear of leaving, the wish to survive, but the knowledge that she won't. It was hopeless. She didn't want to rush back to that.

She and Keefe sat side by side under her tree. Sophie had her head rested against Keefe's shoulder. For once, Keefe wasn't going to make a joke. He let Sophie lean on him, still holding onto her small hand. To him, she was frail and vulnerable. Someone he wanted to protect at all cost. Yet like her, he wasn't ready to go back either. He wanted to stay in this moment with her forever.

After sitting there in a comforting silence, they felt a small rumble. In front of them, they saw an unbelievable sight. The landscape was crumbling apart into a white, empty void. It was getting closer and closer to them. Time's up. They had to go.

"Keefe?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I know, Foster. Me too."

 **OMG GUYS! ITS BEEN AN ENTIRE YEAR (well a bit over) SINCE I RELEASED THIS STORY! I published it in 7/25/15! Like wow! It has been an amazing with u guys! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay guys I'm soo sorry this took so long! This was really long to write and i'm sorry if it's kind of crappy cuz i wrote it over weeks so i kind of lost touch of my own writing. but if there's a major screw up, so sorry! i didn't read it over at all so i honestly don't know what i wrote1 I just wanted to give the update to u so here it is! One more chapter left to go! the epilogue! look forward to that next time! thanks everyone for being so patient! love u all!**

 **THANKS TO AcademiaNut17, BlackSwanGirl, BookWormQueen100, BookWormElf, Pinky121244 FOR FOLLOWING/ FAVORITING!**

 **Xylia Neo: Thx for supporting me all the way! It amazing to be able to write this story!**

 **Strikestar: haha nope not yet! after this chapter, there's one more! tho its more of an epilogue!**

 **DOLPHIN417: yay! I'm glad ur account is back but i don't think the cite showed up cuz all i see is .com? could you retype it for me? I'd love to check out ur stories! But for this site, I think it's for fanfics but Wattpad is for fanfics and your original stories so that might be better?**

 **Guest: I honestly can't believe i'm almost done with this either.. its been so long since i first wrote it! Thx for the support!**

 **bookishgirl: girl… i really feel ya lol ;)**

 **ThatsensenboyXD: YYYAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS THERES MORE LOVE GOING ROUND!**

 **TheNightWarrior410: omg i agree.. now that u mentioned it.. they should be together forever… foster keefe goals!**

 **Emily Jacobs: Ur literally the sweetest :) and I really enjoyed reading ur writing too! Tho I think that this site might only be for FANFICTION, u could always get a wattpad account to publish ur writing! I think u have potential! Tho then again I'm not a professional author or anything but I think if u continue to write, ull definitely become really good! Tho I have to ask, is this ur original story? U said it being based off of some myths which I did recognize that but does it also include fanfic too? I'm kind of curious so I wanted to ask! :) and it's cute! I'm already shipping Archie and Sabrina together! And I love Loki as a character! He's kind of like the funny, sarcastic one right? Tho idk if u want my advice but I think ur story is good but u have a few run on sentences and small grammar mistakes tho then again u did warn me about that. But also, (u don't have to listen to my advice bc it's just my opinion) I think in some aspects of the story, u make it move too fast. It's kind of hard for me to explain but I feel it's unnatural at some points. Like in a reader's eyes, it's weird for her to suddenly spill her life story and to give away everything to the reader at the beginning bc I believe that for a story, one way the author always keeps the readers hooked is for them to finally find out the whole truth to the backstory. I know u left some things out like for making the mom's and grandma's disappearance very vague which is a good thing but I feel u could write it in a way in which is less straightforward. Like when ur reading a story, u don't want to be told everything or u don't want ur readers to just listen to the character say everything, instead u want to get a mix of a more direct approach but also letting the readers infer. So an example could be how instead of just Sabrina telling Loki and Archie that her mom suddenly disappeared u can write: "...she went to the hospital to deliver one day and I stayed home with my grandma. Then, I took a nap. When I woke up..." Sabrina suddenly cut short, remembering the dreadful feeling of that day. It all came rushing back. She remembered how she opened her eyes, expecting her mom to be sitting next to her, smiling and singing a lullaby. Instead, the chair was empty and her mom and grandma were nowhere to be seen. Sabrina looked down at the table, replaying the memory in her head. She choked down an incoming sob and forced herself to continue. "... I was alone./ So that was just an example but I feel u could definitely add more of a dramatic spice to it by letting it come less in dialogue and more in description. Ya know? But yeah also, I feel again too rushed into telling everything to the reader, the trust between Archie and Sabrina seemed way too easily and not much character progression. I used to do that a lot but I realized that it was unnatural. Like if I were Sabrina and this random boy appeared out of nowhere, I wouldn't be telling him everything and trusting everything he says. I would still be cautious and definitely freaking out. But again, just my opinion. I don't want to tell u how to write things bc everyone has their own style but I personally feel like ur writing has a lot of good structure to it but could have some polishing up! Like for how u go into detailed description on how the characters look is great! I really feel like I can imagine what Sabrina looks like and I have a feel for her personality! U did an amazing job on that! So yeah, u don't have to take my advice and I don't want u to feel offended cuz if I did I didn't mean it and I really do like the story! Ur free to send me more! I enjoyed reading it! Thanks for being an awesome reviewer! :)**

 **Margalitious: this is the second to last chapter! the next one is sadly the last but i hope it gives a good ending! :)**

 **AcademiaNut17: aw haha thx a bunch! And here's the new update! hope u like it!**

 **Sydney: Ur story is very interesting. It has a unique plot and I found myself literally trying to guess what will happen next! TBH I have no idea where ur story is going yet but since it is only just a few chapter in, I guess it's not a big deal. And since u did ask for feedback, ;) I just want to say that I think most of it is pretty good tho some things could be said clearer and definitely could smooth out some transitions between events. Like for example, the part when they are sitting on the grass during the time stop moment, u could have explained and described Cody's realization and emotion more of how he saw Sydney's way or not and then slowly transition them out of that moment instead of switching immediately to the next. In a lot of places, u switched gears in like a sentence, but I think u could draw out some moments longer bc otherwise ur story seemed to be moving too fast, u know? And I feel some things need to be explained clearer... It might be because I might have missed something but I felt like the whole time travel explanation was slightly unclear. Actually it's not like i couldn't tell they time traveled but... Urg i dont know how to describe it but I feel it could have been better worded? Ok sorry if that didn't make sense but personally that's my advice! I hope I helped a bit! And I want you to know I can't wait to find out what happens next. Like honestly, Cody is just so cute w/ Sydney! Is she like kind of a more "brave" kind of girl who is like independent and can survive on her own type? Cuz I'm getting that feeling, which I absolutely love! Like she seems like such a cool person! And Cody seems like the more patient, mature one who will keep the reckless Sydney from getting herself killed or something! Like they're just perfect for each other! Love it and keep me updated too! :)**

 **Guest: no THANK YOU! Thank you for reading this! And that was honestly such a sweet compliment! Thank you for taking the time to read this! I'm really grateful! :)**

 **BookWormElf: whew i finally finished this… it was soon long but here ya go! :)**

Chapter 21— **Sophie's POV**

Sophie and Keefe returned to the others hand in hand, gripping each other tightly, not wanting to let go. They walked up to their grim faced friends as they parted from Soph's fading body to make room for Sophie and Keefe. Fitz eye's rested on her hand in Keefe's, but he said nothing. Keefe squeezed Sophie's hand reassuringly before he let her hand slide out from his. Sophie knelt down next to Soph, tears forming.

Soph was lying peacefully on the ground. Her body became ghostly translucent. Her damp eyes glistened under the sunlight as they met Sophie's. She smiled with mixture of relief, happiness, and yet sadness and a bit of fear.

"Sorry, I lost all the energy in my body." Soph said in a weak, teasing tone. Sophie shook her head and placed her hand on Soph's, not trusting herself to speak.

"You really did save the world." Soph whispered, looking straight up into the sky. A single teardrop fell down her cheek. Sophie felt her own tears slipping. Again, she shook her head.

"No, you did. We all did. If it weren't for you warning us, we wouldn't be alive. _You_ saved the future." Sophie's voice cracked as the tears now came steadily down her face. She quickly tried to wipe them away, wanting to be strong for Soph, but Soph stopped her. She gave Sophie a small head shake.

"Sophie, it's okay to let it go. Being strong isn't about holding in your tears, it's about letting them go and learning to move on from them. Remember that." Soph's grip loosened on Sophie's arm as she touched Sophie's face. She gave a sad weak smile.

"I'm scared." Soph said. "I'm scared, but I'm happy." She took one final look at Sophie and the others, and with a genuine smile, she spoke her last words.

"Thank you."

With that, her warm melty brown eyes closed, and as she released a single breath, her body faded into the air and disappeared.

* * *

 **Soph's POV- Her Memories** (SPOILER OF NEVERSEEN: **YAAASSSS I FINALLY CAUGHT UP!** )

It had been only a few months ago that Black Swan had defeated Neverseen for good. Back then, Alvar and Keefe both came back home with the others. They were full with regret and didn't come back as the people they once were. A lot had changed. No one returned as the same person they once were, but they always thought their wounds would heal. Keefe's and Alvar's friendships with the others were undoubtfully strained and the trust between Soph and Keefe was broke. They wanted to pretend the past events with Neverseen never happened. But it did, and neither could forget the betrayal.

But it was one night when Keefe had snuck into her room.

Soph had been brushing through Iggy's fur— after Dex had once again changed the color, though this time to a beautiful lavender— when she heard a knock on her window. She jumped, caught off guard. She eyed the window before cautiously grabbing the nearest object— which happened to be her shoe. She approached the window slowly. Finally, with a quick swipe, she drew the curtains to reveal unusually messy blonde hair and tired icy blue eyes. At that time, Soph could barely recognize the boy in front of her.

Soph opened her window, letting Keefe inside. He tried to smirk but it turned to look more remorseful. Soph put a hand on her hip and frowned.

"What is it Keefe?" She asked, sitting back on her bed. Keefe rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with an excuse. None could come to his mind, so he spoke the truth.

"I wanted to see you." He said, reaching out for Soph's hand. But that same hand was the one that pushed her away to begin with. She stepped back, avoiding his reach. A hurt expression flashed upon his face. as he drew his hand back. They stood in an awkward silence as Soph squeezed her hands together, feeling tingly from Keefe's fingertips that grazed her bare skin. Soph stared hard at the ground, not able to bring herself to look up. They continue to stay mute as the air around them tensed up.

"Do you hate me?' Keefe's voice finally sliced through the silence. That shook Soph's attention. She immediately looked up into Keefe's eyes. They reflected so much emotion. Something Soph noticed had never appeared when he was still with Neverseen. Fear, worry, dejection, shame, defeat— they were all mixed together, but there was also something else. Love.

Soph's expression soften as she shook her head. She kept her gaze strong as her heart had a low hum.

"I could never hate you. Never." Soph whispered. She took a shaky breath, remembering his betrayal, remembering when he stood on Neverseen's side during the last battle. Yes, they were once enemies, but no, she has never once been able to hate him. But she also didn't know when she could forgive him. Keefe knew that. He didn't ask to be forgiven either. He must have believe that he should live with his fault as punishment. Something to keep him sane from the guilt.

Keefe took in a deep breath and nodded. He stared at the ground as he hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." His voice cracked. In the next moment, Soph could see tears streaking down his cheeks. He looked so defeated. So regretful. So guilty. That's when Soph realized that it wasn't just her who had experience the harsh reality. Keefe must have gone through a living nightmare to keep Neverseen from harming her. Soph noticed that. No matter what he did that betrayed her and the group, he did it to protect her. He did it for her safety, no matter what crime Neverseen asked him to commit. Soph watched the boy she once envied for being so strong and always joking, break down. It pulled at her heart strings.

Soph reached for Keefe and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for an embrace. They sat on the floor in each other's arms. Soph felt Keefe squeeze her tighter as she breathed in his familiar scent. She remembered this. She had once held Keefe like this. It had been the time she lent him a shoulder to cry on after he discovered his mother might have died. But unlike last time, she wasn't going to ever let this boy out of her sight. That night, Soph and Keefe stayed together until they both had fallen asleep in each other's embrace.

* * *

She remembered the day of her real 16th birthday. A month had past since that night with Keefe and things had been returning to normal. Her friends had finally forgiven Keefe and though things were still never quite the same, it was normal enough. Fitz and Keefe were still best friends and strangely enough, Dex had recently started to hang out with them more. Biana had finally gotten over Keefe and was fully in love with Dex. She and Dex weren't an official couple yet, but it was obvious in the way they looked at each other that they had mutual feelings. As for Soph herself, she was turning 16.

She should have known Grady and Edaline would throw her a huge surprise party. But it somehow flew past her mind because when she returned home from school, she found the whole elvin population had shown up at her house, congratulating her. It most definitely wasn't her kind of thing, but she didn't want to hurt Grady's and Edaline's feeling. She put on the best smile she could and enjoyed it as much as she can. But as the night went on, the party only seem to become more loud and restless. Soph on the other hand was just exhausted.

When no one seemed to be paying attention, she quietly slipped outside to get a breath of air. There was a huge boulder nearby in the open field, right under the sky. She lifted herself up on it and sat under the blazing stars. The night breeze was cool on her skin and the stars danced in the sky above her. She stared at them, mesmerized. She couldn't believe she was actually 16 years old. After finding out she was actually older than she was, it just seemed so odd. It felt like she lost a year of her life. Though it made her a bit happy that the age gape between Keefe, her, and Fitz had became closer. When she returned to school after the Neverseen incident, she had got to skip a few grades, letting her end up in Fitz and Keefe's grade. Of course Dex and Biana hated the idea, but Soph realized she wanted to graduate from Fire Fox as soon as possible. She had a goal.

The Neverseen incident made her realize how flawed the elvin system actually was. How weak it was. How biased. The old traditions were falling out, they weren't working anymore. The council was too absolute. Too powerful. Though they were important, they still needed to be restricted. Less dictator-like. Soph needed to make sure there were other powerful elves to balance out the council. Meaning Soph had to get the council to work with Black Swan and establish other councils to be able to balance the power. It was going to be a hard and long journey, but that was what Soph knew she had to do.

A crunch from behind her snapped her out of her thoughts. She whirled her head around to find Keefe climbing onto the rock to sit next to her.

"Hi," She said. He gave a nervous smile. He wasn't quite back to normal, but after the night he appeared in Soph's room, he's finally smiling again.

"Hi, Foster." He said, scooting his body closer to Soph, until their arms touched. He raised an eyebrow.

"So is there a reason the guest of honor left her own party? You missed the part where Grady and Alden had a dance off." He said, acting out weird dance moves. The corners of his mouth turning into a smirk. Soph laughed hard. Her sides cramped up and she struggled to breath in between her laughing fit. Keefe continued to do silly moves with his arms and made funny faces. Sophie giggled and teasingly hit his arm.

"Stop that!" She laughed. She noticed Keefe's smile broadening as the twinkle returned to his eyes.

"Now I'm glad I left, so I didn't have to see that." Keefe looked at her as she laughed. Soph cocked her head at Keefe when she noticed he turned silent.

"Keefe? What's wrong?" She asked, concerned. Keefe shook his head.

"Nothing. I just really like it when you laugh." He said. Soph froze, her cheeks blazed as she averted her eyes. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling embarrassed and shy. She's never been told that. He just put her heart into hummingbird mode.

"Oh." She said, feeling self-conscious . "Thanks." The two of them became silent as they looked up at the stars. Sophia's heart was still racing, as she tried to calm her nerves. But now she was too self-conscious. She could feel the heat from his arm and the tingly feeling she gets overtime she brushes up against him. These feelings made her heart feel hot. Her brain didn't seem to be functioning properly either.

"You're getting too nervous. Just relax.' Keefe teased, reading her emotions. Soph's cheeks burned.

"I'm not nervous at all!" She blurted. Keefe laughed.

"Now you're just embarrassed." Keefe smirked. Soph groaned and hit Keefe's chest.

"Stop that! Don't read my emotions!" She complained. Keefe laughed, holding up his arms to defend himself.

"Fine, then I'll tell you my emotions. Fair?" He smirked. Soph frowned. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Fair." She sighed. Keefe smiled as he leaned in closer. Soph stared into his mesmerizing icy blue eyes and felt her heart thump rapidly against her chest like a drum.

"Ok, my emotions right now? I'm looking in your eyes, and I can't keep my heart from racing. Your arm that's touching mine, is like fireworks against my skin, sparks flying from the slightest touch. I'm looking at you and I'm feeling nervous because all I want right now is to embrace you and never let go." He whispered, leaning in closer and closer until Sophie felt his breath against he skin. All she could do was stare at his lips, slowly approaching hers. She didn't want to pull away. As if in a trance, she leaned in to Keefe until their foreheads touched. She closed her eyes.

"What's my emotion right now?" Soph asked in a timid, quiet voice, opening her eyes again. Keefe's mouth was wavering over hers, just a millimeter away from touching.

"The same as mine." He murmured. "Love." With that, he closed the space between them and his lips pressed against hers. A warm feeling flowed through Sophie's body as Keefe wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His hand was tangled in her long blonde hair as the kiss deepened. Soph had her arms around his neck as they kissed under the stars. When they finally broke apart, they were both out of breath. They kept their foreheads touching as she laced their fingers together.

"Sophie… I'm sorry." Keefe whispered.

"For what?" Soph asked.

"For hurting you. For leaving you. I'm so sorry." He apologize, looking pained. Soph gave him a small peck on his mouth and smiled.

"Just don't do it again, okay?" She said teasingly. Keefe let out a small laugh.

"Alright. Promise."

For the rest of the night, they stayed wrapped up in each other arms, watching the stars.

* * *

Soph was already over 16 and a half. It had been almost a year after Soph had discovered the new element when she was 15. Still, every so often, the lab would contact her and question her again, in more detail, about what happened on the fateful day. They believe they were close to discovering the location of the star but needed more information to determine the use of it. So far the lab had been handling the element carefully, but today was the first time they wanted to conduct a risky experiment. The lab called Soph in to ask her more about the element, since she was the only one who had experience in collecting it. So now, Soph was on her way along with Dex, who was now a technopath prodigy and been invited to help out with conducting the lab using his new inventions.

"I can't believe they want to use my inventions! Professionals! Actual professionals!" Dex

spoke excitedly, his periwinkle eyes sparkled with pride and happiness. Sophie laughed.

"And you thought being a technopath was lame before! Now look at you! You're literally the most famous technopath right now! The 15 year old genius! This is why you're my best friend!" Sophie exclaimed. Dex smiled widely, showing his cute dimples.

"Yeah and I'm best friends with a girl who's known as the strongest elf alive!" Soph giggled and teasingly punched his arm.

"I'm not that great. There's so many other elves who are definitely more powerful. Think of Mr. Forkle and the councilors!" Sophie disagreed. Dex rolled his eyes.

"Please, you'll surpass Forkle. We already know you're going to be the next head of Black Swan." Dex reminded. Soph sighed.

"Black Swan has to keep the council under control and Black Swan needs a person they trust. Meaning me… Honestly, I'm never going to be normal am I?" Soph sighed. Dex laughed and pat Soph on the back before casually swinging his arms around her shoulders.

"Well what can I say, you're one of a kind. But let's not worry bout that. We'll have a long bright future in front of us. So don't worry!" Dex reassured. The two smiled and went not their way. Little did Soph know at that time that it would be the last time the two of them smiled together.

At the end of that day, the experiment exploded with Dex in a coma and black flames spreading. It wasn't until a few weeks after, when Grady got sick, followed by many others… including Keefe.

* * *

Wails and cries filled the gray gloom in the air. Everyone was frightened, hopeless, and devastated. The town reeked of death, elves dying by moments time, as if death was looking down deciding which victim to choose next. No one was safe, and too many died.

Elves dressed in black from head to toe crowded the Wanderling Woods everyday, as if it was a daily ceremony. The once colorful green dressed elves now, could only mourn for their lost, dressed in black. There was no chance to dress in color when the color of life in people's faces and eyes were drained from them.

Still, everyday a new gathering mourned. Everyday a new seed was planted. Everyday another life was lost. Today, they mourned for the elf named Keefe Sencen.

Soph was not okay. There were many times when Soph thought that it might have been better for the world to end so she didn't have to suffer anymore, but she never really meant it. But it was different now. Keefe was no longer in the same world she lived in. She could no longer feel his arms wrapped up around her. She could no longer feel his warm, soft lips pressed shyly against hers. She could no longer hear his genuine, cute laugh or see the shy blush that crept up on his cheeks. She would never hear his voice anymore. Never see the twinkle in his charming blue eyes. Never hear him say "I love you". Without Keefe, the world might as well end now.

But the crying, the fake concern for the people who didn't know him, the brutal reality that he was gone, was too much for Soph. She needed space. She needed that sliver of hope that dwelled in her, believing that this was all a big prank, that Keefe was going to come out and say "got ya!" with that lopsided smile of his. But this was reality. One that Soph didn't want to live in.

So Soph ran. Her body moved on her own as she pushed past the crowd, farther into the Wanderling Woods as she slumped up against her own tears finally poured out as she gripped the grass tightly in her fist. She was too caught up in her emotions to realize that someone was approaching her. A shadow loomed over her and she looked up. Fitz stood in front of her with a pained expression, his own eyes watering. He didn't say hi or asked how she was doing. He didn't have to. He just silently knelt down next to her and pulled her in his warm embrace. There were no exchange in words. All Soph could do was cry into Fitz's chest, gripping tightly on his shirt. Soph finally looked up at Fitz face and saw his mouth moving, but her sobs blocked his words out. She tried to calm herself as she opened her mouth.

"Can you say that again?" She asked quietly. Fitz turned to look at her with longing, sad eyes as he opened his mouth again. ( **reference to ch. 16!** )

"Keefe told me to tell you something before he passed." He murmured softly in her ear, still holding her in his embrace. Sophie sniffled, as tears silently fell down her cheeks. She struggled to talk through her weeps but she somehow managed.

"What did he say?" She asked, her voice tender and fragile. Fitz closed his eyes as he leaned back against the tree. He smoothed her hair as he looked up at the sky.

"He said for you to promise not to hate him." Fitz whispered. Despite her sobs, Soph let out a sad laugh. Tears streamed down her face harder as another weep overcame her body.

"After all we've been through, he was still worried that I'd hate him." Her voice came out in a mixture of a sob and laugh. She shook her head.

"Keefe… You're an idiot for leaving me." She cried in frustration. She probably sounded crazy but she didn't care.

"You're an idiot. A stupid elf who left his girlfriend. Yet despite that, I still love you. I'll forever and always love you. I promise." She cried harder, soaking Fitz's shirt with her salty tears.

"Keefe… come back to me… don't leave me… Keefe…" Fitz stayed silent as he rubbed Soph's back as she broke. He pulled her tighter, not saying a single word. But for her, his company was more than enough.

* * *

It was a month after Keefe's funeral and just a few months before she turned 17. She and Fitz were still continuing their training as cognates. They've gotten through many trust activities so they decided to try something new. They both wanted to take their minds off of the plague spreading around, so they decided to test how well they could multitask while staying in each other's minds. Their task: communicating as Soph teleported.

Soph had opened the void as Fitz gave her a slight nod, signaling that he had entered her mind. She gave a smile and a thumps up before entering her portal. She slipped through the empty whole and waited for Fitz's voice. It was a few minutes before she could hear Fitz.

 ** _Sophie, can you hear me?_** His voice projected in her head.

 ** _Yeah, its working!_** She transmitted back excited. She heard his laugh in her head.

 ** _Good! Okay think of a happy memory in a specific place, but make sure you don't teleport yet._** Fitz instructed.

Soph closed her eyes and imagined back to the time of the day she met Keefe. She remembered how lost and confused she felt at that time, how much she missed her human family. She remembered how she was wandering the halls, and was stopped by a blonde elf. A boy she later would love. She remembered his curiosity with her, how he teased her about being mysterious. Soph would give anything to go back to those times. Soph's heart fell, knowing she could never go back. But her feelings were too strong. All she wanted was to reverse time.

"I just wish I could turn back time." Soph whispered to herself. Suddenly, Soph felt a force pull on her as the void stirred. Soph closed her eyes, and let out a small scream. A bright light surrounded Soph as memories swirled around her in a flash. Then she fell through into darkness.

Soph had her eyes squeezed shut until she heard a familiar voice.

"You must be lost." Soph opened her eyes, confused. Was someone talking to her? She looked up and gasped at the sight. Standing in the distance, Soph could spot a younger girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. She was staring at a handsome looking boy in a green level four uniform. Soph quickly dashed around a corner as she continued to watch the scene lay out before her. Soph's mind raced. How was this possible? Did she teleport through time?

Sophie? What's going on? Fitz transmitted, alarm was in his voice. He could obviously still communicate with her even if she somehow teleported back in time.

I don't know! I can't believe what I'm seeing. Soph freaked. But before Fitz could reply, Soph heard her past self speak.

"How did you know?" Past Sophie asked Past Keefe. He smirked his usual smirk. Soph felt like crying, realizing that even after all those years they've been together, his smirk never really changed. Soph felt her heart pull at her, as her emotions resurfaced. Her eyes never left past Keefe. Seeing him there, alive, was overwhelming. Soph had to control herself from giving him a kiss. She took a deep breath before having the guts to listen back in on the conversation, even though she already knew what they were saying.

"I'm Keefe." Past Keefe introduced.

'Sophie— but I'm sure you already know that." Past Keefe laughed, again breaking Soph's heart. In the back of her head, Soph could hear Fitz's alarmed voice. She turned back around the corner as she tried to get a hang of Fitz.

 ** _Sophie something's wrong. Our connection — breaking — Soph— hear me?_** Fitz's voice kept breaking up until the connection completely severed. Soph's heart started drumming as she reached for Fitz's mind. She called out to him but he didn't respond. Her mind started racing as she tried to calm her nerves. But before she could start freaking out, a sudden void sucked her up from above and the past memory grew more and more distant until the past her and Keefe were only dots. Eventually the bright light resurfaced and Soph found herself back in her world, standing next to Fitz. Her sudden appearance frightened them both.

"Sophie!" Fitz cried out, pulling her towards him into a hug. He squeezed her tightly. She could feel his heart humming through the thin fabric of his shirt. He released her and stared at her with widen eyes.

"What happened?" Fitz questioned, trying to keep his calm. But Soph wasn't as well put as he was. She stared at him with crazed eyes and shook her head.

"I don't know. I don't know." She repeated in disbelief, shock, and fear. But in truth, she did know. She had just teleported back in time.

* * *

It was only after 2 years of practice, when Soph decided she was ready to attempt to save the world. She was now 18 and was preparing to finally interact with her past self. Before, she's watch from afar, not sure when it was safe to talk to her past self, but she knew if she waited any longer, there would be no future to save.

Soph stopped by Grady's room to say goodbye to Grady and Edaline. Grady was in critical condition, already starting the fourth stage. She knew he didn't have much time left. And as much as it pained her to leave her dad in such an important time, she knew that at least it meant they had a chance to survive in another future.

She opened the door quietly and peaked in. She saw Edaline look up with a red eyes and a long face. Soph clenched her fist. She knew Grady's condition wasn't sitting well with Edaline. She not only had to experience the death of her daughter, Jolie, but now her husband… Soph pursed her lips as she held onto Edaline's hands. She stared Edaline in the eyes with determination.

"I will fix this. Wait for me." Soph whispered to Edaline. She gave her mom a hug as Edaline sniffled and returned the hug.

"Just be safe… I love you, ok?" Edaline said softly. Soph nodded.

"Ok." She whispered before bending down next to Grady to kiss him goodbye.

"I'll be back Grady." She said, before leaving the room and meeting Fitz downstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw the familiar boy with the mesmerizing teal eyes. She smiled as he held out his hand. She gladly took it and gave Fitz a small kiss on the cheek.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded and took a breath.

"What other choice do we have?" She said. "It's either this, or we die." Soph frowned as she turned to Fitz.

"You know what will happen to us if we do save the future right?" She tightened her grip on Fitz's hand. Even though they just started officially dating a year ago, it seemed as if they always had a bond together. Of course, one of the things that bonded them even more, was their love for Keefe. Even thought 2 years had passed since his death, they never let him leave their mind or hearts. But for now, Soph wanted to save Keefe and everyone else from this terrible future, even if it meant not existing anymore.

Fitz gave her a squeeze back.

"It's the right thing to do. Keefe and Dex would have wanted it. Biana would have stopped by to wish you good luck but she was caught up at work. But I'm sure, she'd agree with this decision 100%. Plus, we'll still be alive in our past selves, right?" Fitz reassured. Soph sighed before nodding her head.

"Right." She mumbled. Then taking a deep breath she took a step forward and opened the portal. With one last glance at Fitz, she smiled sadly before stepping back in the past.

* * *

Base quest. Soph remembered that. The one game she was never tired of. And what a surprise to find her past self playing base quest with Biana, Fitz…. and Keefe. Ever since his death, Soph had ever forgotten her feelings for him. Though she did love Fitz, Keefe will always have a special place in her heart. And to see him playing base quest, looking so alive, it pained Soph to think of the terrible future ahead of them.

But right, she was here to fix that. Though she didn't think talking to her past self during a base quest game would be the best way to introduce herself. Especially since she couldn't have the others know about the future yet. Soph didn't want it to spread or it'll cause a complete panic. Soph was about to teleport out when she suddenly felt another presence. She looked across the woods to Past Sophie running towards Biana. Knowing if Sophie turned her head, she'd see Soph in a split second. So Soph dashed behind a tree but a sudden snap came from underneath her foot as she stepped on a trig. Immediately, she ducked to fast teleport, a skill she learned that came in handy. Soph ended up high in a tree as she looked down at Past Sophie. She used to be so innocent, happy. Soph smiled bitterly. Too bad everything would be taken away from her. Sighing, Soph decided to hide out until a good time.

It was finally nighttime and Soph waited until Grady and Edaline were asleep to finally reveal herself to Past Sophie. She teleported up against the window and tapped it a few times. She stood behind it, knowing any moment, Past Sophie would see her. And no later than a few minutes did she see her past self rise from the bed to stare right into Soph's eyes. This was their beginning of a new encounter, a new fate.

* * *

Here Soph was, lying on the ground surrounded by the elves she loved. It was almost time. Soph could tell she was loosing the feeling in her fingers and arms, as the started fading away. They all waited for Sophie to come back, having officially gotten ride of the element that ruined Soph's life. It only took a few minutes for Sophie to returned. And when she did, she walked hand and hand with Keefe, a nostalgic sight. Soph felt a smile tug at her tired lips. She looked up at the sunny sky that seemed so far away. She imagined future Keefe and Fitz watching over her, waiting for her to join them. She wondered if she'd see Grady and Dex as well as the others up there as well. She wanted to see them. But there was always a small worry that tugged at her. Did she really do it? Was the future actually saved? Soph still couldn't believe it. But her body and conscious became too tired to care. It was almost time. She had to say goodbye.

Honestly, meeting with her past self again, she was really bitter. Jealous of her own self seemed a bit ridiculous, but Soph didn't want to die. It seemed painful and lonely, but right now, it felt as if a huge weight has been lifted from her. She now knew that she wasn't dying, she was just going to watch from above, while still living inside Sophie. And despite her past self being quite curious and annoying, she had to give it to herself for the bravery she never knew she had.

Soph looked at her past self and smiled, tears streaking down her face. She had so much to say but for now, she just wanted to say thanks. After exchanging small goodbyes, Soph knew it was time. She gave one last smile and looked at her past self.

"Thank you." She said. And with that she closed her eyes.

 ** _Fitz, can you hear me?_** Soph whispered far in her mind.

 ** _Yeah, I'm here. I'm with you._**

And with that, a warm feeling spread throughout her body as she was being lifted into the sky.

 **Thank you guys again for taking the time to read! I've been away for a while so I know this isn't my best writing, but I think its at least the longest chapter I have ever written for this story? But either way, I hope you enjoy it and the next chapter will be the last! Thx love you all! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry for the long wait! This has been pretty busy but I finally finished the last chapter of Future Self! Thanks to all who have been with me throughout this story! I love you all and am sad to say that this is the end. With the end of this story, I'm leaving the fan fiction world! But it was a good time while it lasted! I'm so grateful for everyone who read my writing and I just wanted to tell you how it always made my day to read the comments and how overjoyed I was to know that you guys read this! Thanks so much and I hope you love this ending! :)**

 **THANKS TO Eeveelutions Are Awesome, Project-Moonlark, pehpdx, Lalaloopsiedonuts FOR FOLLOWING/ FAVORITING!**

 **BlackSwanGirl: haha thx! Honestly i love this comment! I really wanted that line to move someone and I'm so glad it did!**

 **FictionalBoyz: Yes! I was aiming for "the feels" and u got it! I was so worried it was gonna be cheesy lol**

 **bookishgirl: I'm so glad u liked this chapter! I was trying so hard on what events of Soph's life I was gonna put in the story and I had so many but not enough time to write her whole life's story so I ended up putting the important ones and i thought it was clumpy but I'm so happy u liked it! thanks so much!**

 **Project-Moonlark: Aw ur so sweet! honestly i love u! I followed and favorited ur account! So excited to see what u will write! I probs won't review with my account but i'll def be reading ur stories! And yep no prob! I hope u finish ur story soon! It was so interesting! I really like it! And hahaha I've never done that but I always imagined what it'd be like to be them and live in their world! Kind of like fantasizing another adventure of theirs! And tbh, ur so called "weird" reviews are one of my favs! I love reading them and ur just awesome! :) Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter!**

 **Mysterious M: huh i never thought of that! I probably should have made it more clear! Thanks for telling me! I would have never caught that! And i'm glad you enjoyed it otherwise and thank god i didn't cussed out. Then again, if i were you and read another bad future for Sophie, id probs cuss myself out for it lol ;)**

 **KOTLC 1 Fan: AWWWWWW u literally warmed my heart with ur review! I couldn't ask for a better review! Ur so sweet! Honestly u make me cry from ur reviews! 2 in a row too! Thank you so much! :)**

 **Guest: Whoops! I might have made u wait a bit long for this update… forgive me? ;) and yasssssss Soph ended up wit Fitz till the very end of her future, cute right?**

 **Sydneyoftheni: OMG THAT PLOT IS GENIUS! I ABSOLUTEY LOVE IT! Pls pls pls pls post it! It really is an amazing story and I really want to find out Sadie's and Cody's relationship together! They are so cute and i already fell in love with their characters! I may be leaving the fanfic community but i really want to read ur story! pls post it! like i know it must be a pain to type up 100 pages (btw congrats cuz that's a ton of writing!) but like i must read more and find out! Literally, if u don't I'm gonna have to write my own fanfic on ur story cuz I'm most definitely a fan! Wait shoot, i know u told me ur account before but i can't find it! Is it Sydenyoftheni? Can u tell me ur account again? Cuz I'm gonna check out ur story! Thanks friend! :)**

 **Peach: Thanks so much! Ur so sweet! I hope u enjoy this ending!**

Final Chapter— Sophie's POV

Her mind felt hazy and her body ached as she slowly pried open her eyes. A familiar looking white ceiling came in view when her vision had cleared. Slowly her eyes trailed down the wall until they met with a pair of beautiful icy blue eyes. A charming smile soon followed as he noticed she was awake.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Keefe teased. His hand tightened around hers as his warmth spread up Sophie's arm. She groggily looked at him and tried to sit up, but Keefe quickly stopped her. He shook his head and gently pushed her back down on her pillow.

"I don't think you should get up just yet. It's the first time you've moved after Soph faded." Keefe said. Sophie frowned, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to recall what happened after Soph faded. Her mind was blank.

"How long have I been out?" Sophie asked, confused. Keefe's smile faded as he let out a sigh.

"A week." He answered. Sophie's eyes popped out.

"A week?!" She exclaimed. Keefe nodded gravely.

"The moment after Soph disappeared, you suddenly fainted and wouldn't respond or open your eyes. We were all so scared, Sophie. We didn't know what happened and it was like you fell into a coma. We didn't know… we didn't know if you'd ever wake up." Keefe explained, his voice cracking at the end. Sophie looked at Keefe— really looked at him— for the first time. There were dark circles under his eyes and it looked like he didn't sleep for ages. His eyes looked weary and tired, mixed with concern for her. She suddenly felt guilty for making Keefe worry. She avoided his gaze as she opened her mouth.

"Sorry." Sophie whispered. Keefe stared at her for a moment before smirking.

"It's alright Sophie, you're here now." He said softly. Sophie felt a faint blush creep up her face as Keefe slowly leaned closer. His face was just centimeters away from hers, their lips almost touching. Sophie slowly closed her eyes as she felt the soft warmth of Keefe's lips on hers.

"It's sweet." She heard Keefe mutter under his breath before finding her lips again. Her heart fluttered as her mind went blank, letting herself sink in his gentle kisses. Keefe's hand brushed her cheek as he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her closer.

"I love you." Keefe breathed in between their kisses. Sophie slightly opened her eyes to find Keefe blushing and looking at her. She immediately felt shy again but let a small smile slip grow on her lips.

"I love you too, Keefe." She barely got out before Keefe pulled her in closer for a deeper kiss. Suddenly the door bursts opened and all of Sophie's friends marched in. Sophie and Keefe gasped and pulled away from each other as far as possible. Biana had a silly grin on her face as she eyed Keefe and Sophie suspiciously. Grady and Edaline followed after. Grady's face was red with anger as Edaline had a huge grin on her face with sparkles of happiness and pride shimmering in her eyes.

"What were you doing with my daughter?!" Grady's voice raised in rage. Keefe looked stunned for a moment before calculating a safe answer. But before he could get a word out, Edaline laughed and wrapped her arm around Grady's. She gently pulled him back and spoke in a soothing voice.

"Now, now Grady. Sophie just woke up, let's give her some space with her friends." Edaline gave Sophie and Keefe a slight wink as she and Grady exited the room. Sophie's face flamed as she averted her gaze. She had never felt more embarrassed. Biana gave Sophie the look, with her smile wide and mischievous.

"Did we interrupt you two?" She asked slyly. Keefe smirked.

"Glad you got the hint. You can come back tomorrow." Keefe joked. Biana pouted.

"But then I wouldn't be able to see my best friend! After what just happened, I think she and I need serious girl talk." Biana countered.

"Girl talk can always wait." Keefe shot back.

"Guys! Ahem!" Sophie shouted. Everybody's eyes turned to her and suddenly she wanted to shrink down. Her cheeks were sprayed bright pink.

"Can we let this go?" She asked in a tiny voice, barely audible. Biana stuck her tongue out at Keefe before nodding at Sophie.

"So how are you feeling?" Fitz spoke up. All Sophie had to do was take one look at him to feel all the guilt in the world. She had to apologize to him as soon as they were alone, now that she knew she really loved Keefe. She just hope it wouldn't get in the way of their friendship. After all, Fitz was the first friend she ever had. He was special to her and she didn't want to lose him.

"I'm feeling better…" She forced a smile. Fitz grinned and handed her favorite stuffed elephant.

"That's good to hear. I brought you—"

"Ella!" Sophie said with glee. Her face lit up at the familiar sight of her. She squeezed the stuffed elephant before returning a genuine smile to Fitz.

"You know just what to bring to make me happy, don't you?" Sophie laughed.

"Hey that's what friends are for." Fitz replied. As soon as the words left his mouth, an awkward silence settled between them. Sophie quickly glanced at Keefe, who got the message and gave her a slight nod of encouragement. Then he turned to the rest and waved them out.

"Come on guys, Sophie's probably really hungry. Let's make her something nice!" Keefe ushered. Dex and Biana started to argue but Keefe cut them off and kept on pushing them out. He looked over his shoulder and gave Fitz a slight nudge. "Fitz, you stay here and keep Sophie company for me! Thanks!" With that, he and the rest disappeared out the door. Sophie breathed out relief. She had to thank Keefe for that later.

Just as she started to relax, she realized that she was now completely alone with Fitz. Her nerves started jittering as he took a seat in the chair next to her. She looked down at her hands as he stared at his feet. The space between them reeked of awkwardness. Finally, Sophie summoned as much courage as she could and opened her mouth.

"Fitz—"

"Sophie—"

They both spoke at the same time and paused.

"You go first." They said in unison.

"No, you!" They once again said together.

They stared at each other, unsure of what to do, before bursting out laughing. They little tension left between them completely dispersed. Sophie calmed down first and was able to get the words out.

"Fitz, we really need to talk… about 'us'." Sophie looked into Fitz's mesmerizing teal eyes as she continued.

"When we first met, my heart fluttered and i really believed it was love at first sight. You were the first friend I ever made, I ever had, by my side. You were the first person who told me who I really was. You were the one who showed me where I belonged. You protected me, saved me, cherished me. There's really nothing I can ever do to repay you for that—"

"Sophie, that's not true. There's nothing you need to repay me for—"

"Fitz, just listen. You don't understand how important you are to me. You are my first friend. You were my first love." She let the words sink in. Silence surrounded them and Fitz wouldn't look at her. She felt her lower lip quiver, afraid she had just ruined everything between them. So much tension was between them. Fitz sighed, breaking the quietness.

"Sophie?" He asked. Sophie swallowed nervously.

"Yes?" She replied, bracing herself for the worst. She shut her eyes, afraid to look at his face, afraid to see his hurt face, or furious expression. But all she felt was strong arms wrapping around her as Fitz pulled her against his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered. Sophie blinked. She did not expect this response. For a moment, she was too shocked to say anything. Then she finally remember to use her voice.

"For what?" her voice squeaked.

"That I was your first love. That I'm still important to you." He spoke gently into Sophie's ears. Sophie felt her eyes tear as she leaned into his hug and brought her own arms up to return his hug.

"Fitz… " Her voice was soft.

"I knew… I knew that Keefe had started having feelings for you. I started growing afraid that he'd replace my presence in your heart, that I would no longer be important to you. One day, he came over to my house. He told me that he loved you and he wanted to ask me if I was okay with that. I'm sure he knew I must of had feelings for you. To be honest, I was so shocked, I didn't even know what to say. I felt that I had no chance to even win you from him. But seeing how Soph loved me, how she chose me in the future, it gave me hope." Fitz confessed. Sophie held her breath. Her heart was thumping so hard, she was sure he could feel it, like how she could feel his beating heart underneath his shirt.

"Fitz… I'm really sorr—" Fitz quickly pulled back and put a finger against her mouth.

"Let me finish." Fitz said. He gave her a sad smile. "Keefe and I already talked. After a few days you had collapsed and was hospitalized, Keefe and I met outside your hospital room. He told me what had happened when you guys went back to the future. He didn't even waver when he declared his love for you. I can respect that. You two look so happy together. I can't get in-between that. So just knowing that I still hold some importance in your heart is enough for me. I just want you to be happy, Sophie."

Sophie couldn't hold back the tears much longer. They started trailing down her face as she buried her face into Fitz's chest.

"Fitz, I will never forget that you were my first love and my first friend. You will always be important to me and I will always cherish our friendship." Sophie cried. Fitz laughed softly.

"Thank you, Sophie. I will too." Just as they pulled out of their hug, the door once again sprung open as Dex, Biana, and Keefe came in. Sophie quickly dried her tears with the back of her hand as Keefe gave her a look as if to ask "are you okay?". Sophie nodded and gave him a big smile. Fitz went over to Keefe and gave him a little push to the seat he just sat in. A look passed between them as Keefe took the seat.

"So Biana and Dex here have a little something we made for you." Keefe grinned as Dex held out a tray with Sophie's favorite elf sweets.

"Hey are sweets really healthy for someone who hasn't eaten in a week?" Fitz asked, skeptical and worried. Biana jokingly slapped her brother's back and laughed.

"Stop being such a worrywart! Sweets are always good!" Biana told off her brother as he feigned pain in his back where she slapped him. They all dug in the food, sharing laughter and memories of their adventure.

* * *

It was the first time in a week that Sophie was finally returning to school. Based on what Biana had informed her, everyone already knew about the break-in at the lab and everyone was just itching to hear the story from the crew and Sophie. Rumors already filled the school and not a single student has not already heard some bizarre story about Sophie and the reasons for the break-in.

 _What a great thing to expect on my first day back to school_ , Sophie thought sarcastically as she opened the double doors of her school. The moment she stepped inside the building, all heads turned towards her. She caught people two people whispering about her.

"Oh my god, is that her? She finally came back to school. I wonder what happened." One girl whispered to another.

"Who knows, maybe she was too scared that she was going to be confronted by the headmaster about breaking in the lab." The other girl whispered back. Sophie sighed and tried to ignore other whispers as she headed to her locker. Luckily, Keefe was already there, waiting for her.

"Keefe! You're here!" Sophie sparkled, relieved with seeing his familiar face. He laughed.

"Yeah, figured you would have a rough time with your first day back." Sophie sighed as her shoulders drooped.

"Yeah… not the best welcome back I ever had." She shrugged. Keefe nudged her.

"Hey don't worry about it. Plus, you have a pretty persistence friend standing up for you." He smirked. Sophie raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Who?" She couldn't help but ask. Keefe pointed down the hall as a pretty elf with platinum blonde hair and big ocean blue eyes turned into the hallway. Sophie gasped.

"Sydney!" She gasped. Sophie almost didn't recognize her without her lab coat. Sydney was walking towards them, glaring at anyone whispering about Sophie. When she finally was close enough, Sydney sprung herself at Sophie in a hug.

"About time you showed up!" Sydney grinned as she stepped back. Sophie was shocked by the sudden affection from Sydney, considering Sydney once held a knife at her. Keefe laughed at Sophie's confused expression.

"Sydney had been quite worried about you after what happened. She visited you every day at the hospital too, but only for a few hours. Her dad was still dumbfounded with what happened at the lab." Keefe explained. Sydney groaned.

"Urg, don't remind me! I'm still trying to convince him that I didn't know you guys! He's still hung over that you guys got away…" Sydney sighed. Sophie giggled.

"I thought Keefe said that you were daddy's little Princess?" Sophie laughed. Sydney gave Keefe an angry glare before turning back to Sophie.

"Well, can't say that I'm not his favorite daughter." Sydney flipped her hair.

"More like his only daughter." A voice came from behind them. Sydney's face turned pink as Fitz squeezed in between Keefe and her and strode alongside the group.

"Hey Fitz!" Sophie greeted. Fitz flashed her a smile.

"Hey Sophie, glad to have you back." He gave her a pat before Keefe swatted away his hand.

"Fitz, Sophie's mine. I'd appreciate it if you don't touch my girlfriend." Keefe said in a fake serious voice, putting his arm around Sophie and pulling her in close. Sophie blushed as Fitz put both his hand up as if he just got caught. They all laughed at the joke before Fitz turned his attention back to Sydney.

"So your dad didn't fully buy your story, now did he?" Fitz teased. Sydney sighed.

"Almost! I swear! I never knew that man was so stubborn! He's so hung over the fact that you guys recognized me and talked as if we were friends!" Sydney complained. Sophie smirked.

"But aren't we your friends?" Sophie asked with a teasing tone. Sydney's cheeks turned a slight pink as she turned her head away, embarrassed.

"I guess I don't _hate_ hanging around with you guys." Sydney grumbled. Sophie giggled as Keefe smirked.

"Someone's a bit shy. More so than I thought." Keefe joked as Sydney turned to glare at him. The four of them continued down the hall to their classes when a sudden announcement came on.

"May Sophie Foster, Biana and Fitz Vacker, Keefe Sencen, and Dex Dizznee come down to the office? The headmaster would like to see you." The four stopped in their tracks and exchanged a worried glance.

"Is this about what happened at the lab?" Sophie whispered. Fitz sighed.

"Probably." The four of them stood unmoving. None of them wanted to face the consequences.

"If you guys are being summoned for the lab break-in, then maybe I should come too? I could act as a witness." Sydney suggested. Keefe nodded.

"Yeah we might need that." Keefe admitted. Sophie let out a heavy sigh, bracing herself for whatever punishment they might give.

"Well, we might as well get going. It was nice knowing you all." She said sarcastically, pretending they were meeting their doom. Keefe laughed.

"Isn't my specialty in making the jokes in times like these?" Keefe asked. Sophie gave him a smile.

"Well can't say you haven't been rubbing off on me lately." She laughed. And with that, the four of them made their way to the headmaster's office.

As they entered, they noticed Biana and Dex had already been waiting, sitting down on one of the chairs. They looked a bit curious but even more nervous. They're faces lit up when they saw the rest of the group. Sophie was just about to run up to Biana when she realized that they weren't alone. The headmaster, her parents, and everyone else's parents were there. Not only them, but seated before them were the councilors themselves. Sophie gulped. This was a bigger deal than she thought. Though it kind of sucked that she might be getting punished for saving the world. Then again, she might as well get used to that feeling.

"Miss Foster," Emery spoke up. "We recently heard of the 'accident' at the lab and can't say that we weren't all shocked. Some maybe even disappointed. Sad enough to say that you were caught on camera, recording you students sneaking in, surely making you seem quite suspicious and guilt—"

"But," Oralie interrupted. "knowing how you kids are, you must have had a good reason for doing so. We here to give you a chance to explain yourselves." Oralie gave then an encouraging nod as the rest of the group exchanged a mutual agreement. They turned to look at Sophie, who was fated to save the future from the very beginning. Keefe held onto Sophie's hand as she breathed in and thought back to meeting Soph.

Honestly, she couldn't believe everything that happened took place in a time span of only 2 weeks. During those weeks, Sophie had been through all her worst, but now that she thought back on it, all she could remember was a new found respect in herself. Soph was right, she was a part of Sophie, and that was one thing she'll never forget. She wasn't not a freak or weak, but instead she stands up with her own strength. Meeting Soph changed her life forever, and she was grateful for that.

She paused as a light breeze fluttered the curtains. Everything was silent, waiting for her every word. Finally she smiled brightly as she began to tell her unforgettable tale.

"It all started the night I met my Future Self."

 **-END-**


End file.
